The Final Fall
by AMightierPen
Summary: It turns out Thor wasn't the first to visit Midgard. A childhood friend of his and Loki's, Elsa, was exiled to the realm as a child. Now, as a young woman, she must reunite with Thor and the Avengers to fight Loki.
1. Wonderful World

Disclaimer : This was written as a creative outlet with no intention of infringing upon the copyrighted characters and storyline belonging to Marvel Comics. I own none of these characters, except for my OC. This is made for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

_He who leaves the fight unfinished is not at peace._

_The Epic of Gilgamesh_

* * *

"You are unworthy"

So these were to be the last words Thor would hear from his father. He had barely the time to register the contempt in the Allfather's eyes before he was surrounded by a pulsing light. Immediately he was sucked into it, the image of his father and brother only a blur.

Later, he would remember seeing no remorse in Loki's eyes.

Later, he would realize why.

* * *

**_One year later_**

It was absurdly quiet that morning, more quiet than New York City had any right to be. And yet it was, and Elsa was trying to take full advantage of that.

She had woken up that morning at five to go on a run and was weaving her way through Central Park when one earbud fell out of place. Normally, she disliked running without music because the sounds of the city were too distracting. Only this time, she noticed there were no sounds, so Elsa pulled out the other bud and continued running.

Her favorite place to be was under the great, tall buildings. Their enormous stature and brilliance reminded her of home. If she squinted in the sunlight, the steel turned to gold. It took her a while to end up in the city, but once she arrived she knew it was where she would stay. Elsa had heard talk that it was the place to be - the place to get a job, to get money, to start over.

It was cold outside, and her breath appeared as mist every time she let out a huff. She had been running for a while, though, and her layers of athletic gear were starting to get uncomfortable. Her skin burned under the rayon and begged for fresh air while her exposed flesh felt completely numb. She was addicted to that feeling.

Elsa should not have been too surprised that New York had stayed asleep that morning. It was, after all, January 1, and all of the New Years' celebrations had only just ended a few hours ago. Everyone in the city was passed out on a friend's couch or a random bus bench, and though there were no sounds of human life, there were certainly signs. The cold air carried the vague whiff of alcohol just as bits of streamers and confetti lay littered in piles.

Elsa had not participated in the night's events, nor had she ever celebrated New Years, and instead went to bed on the 31st around ten. She wanted to get enough sleep for a good morning run.

It would be incorrect to assume Elsa a loner or an introvert. Rather, she was just unwilling to exhaust herself for the sake of social interaction. People, she could take them or leave them. It was the stars she loved.

Elsa had earned her bachelor's degree in astronomy a few years ago and skipped graduate school to take an internship in New York at a research laboratory. Her chosen field of astronomy was not unintentionally connected with her origin, however. Having lived on an entirely other realm, Elsa had gained an interest in planetary systems and, occasionally, cosmology. After a year, she was offered a job with decent pay and amazing access to technology. She took it without hesitation.

After running for five miles, Elsa slowed to a jog and, finally, to a walk, before nearly crawling back into her building. As she stood in the ascending elevator, she worked to steady her heartbeat and breaths while beginning to shed the extra layers. By the time she reached her floor she had taken off two jackets and a pair of gloves, and was left trying to clutch them with one fist as she attempted to get her key into the lock.

Elsa shed her remaining clothes and stepped into a steaming shower. The heat was so sudden that she nearly screamed, but instead closed her eyes and muffled the cry. Exhausted, she sat down in the shower and let the hot water pour over her.

By the time she shut the water off, the room was humid and mirrors fogged. Elsa had to wipe down her mirror with a cloth before she was able to see herself. When she did, she paused and stared blankly at the reflection. In it, she saw an olive-skinned girl with a round face and green eyes, dirty blonde hair and the faintest hint of freckles spread across her face. She looked unbelievably normal, so normal that one would never suspect her true origin. Elsa sighed and turned away from her reflection. Those days were gone from her.

But they could never be forgotten. How could she remove such vivid memories? She had tried for a very long time to, and had only just begun to accept that her past was a part of her. By realizing this, she was better able to move on with her life.

Elsa was not from Earth. Actually, her people called it Midgard. Well, they weren't really her people anymore. Elsa was really from Asgard, a place known to Midgardians only through mythology books and children's stories. It was the dwelling of the gods worshipped by the ancient Norse peoples, and with the end of their age came the end of the glory for those gods. They still existed, though, and continued to retain balance and dispense justice throughout the nine realms. The gods had not been seen in Midgard for centuries, having long ago decided to step away from human affairs.

It would be tempting to cite Elsa as an exception, but that would be false. She was not a god anymore, and arrived on Midgard as a human. It happened long ago, when she was a child. Elsa tried not to think about it most of the time, especially as she had developed a habit of embellishing memories with false grandeur and wonder. The gilded nature of her recollections left her embittered until she forced herself to remember that she was only doing so out of nostalgia.

Elsa had long ago surrendered to the notion of escape. She was an exile. She would never come home.

And so the world progressed as she dragged on. Recently, it became apparent that heroes were real, and of the super type. Enemies came and were defeated. Elsa's life went on with the passing of days.

Elsa did not seek out the company of others. She was not lonely in this life, just a little apathetic. She had only just begun to think of herself as a Midgardian, and before that she consciously distanced herself from the affairs of humans, incorrectly believing them inferior to herself. Elsa had learned, though, that arrogance did not get one far in this human life.

Her truest memories of childhood were forever altered by unintentional embellishing, but she was able to recall the basic components. As a child in Asgard, Elsa had two dear friends. They were both brothers, and members of the House of Odin. One of them would one day inherit Odin's throne. Their names were Thor and Loki, and together they were constant playmates.

Elsa did not know if she had actually run through the palace halls with them or if this was a false memory conjured in a dream, but she liked to believe that it was true. The idea of running freely down a cavernous hall alongside one's best friends gave her some comfort. It allowed her to believe that she had had a normal childhood, or at least one where she was surrounded by friends.

It had been so long, though, and Elsa never saw them grow up, nor they her. Sometimes she wondered about them, the boys she knew, and what kind of men they became. Other times she wished so desperately to forget the past in order to create a more productive future.

The adjustment period had been difficult. Elsa had landed somewhere in small town New Mexico looking like she was dressed up for Halloween night. A local church lent her clothes, and the minister helped her get in contact with the right people. Quickly Elsa was put into the foster care system, where at thirteen she was a tough sell for an adoption.

Years passed as she was dropped off at an unending series of doorsteps. Vague, unfamiliar faces were all that she was ever able to recollect.

The agency had initially placed her in nearby southern California, where she moved from family to family. The relatively consistent location had allowed her to take a part-time job to make some pocket cash. Four nights of the weeks, Elsa worked at a local cafe busing tables after school. With this money she was able to buy some more Midgardian clothes.

During this time, she was still resisting. Immediately after her banishment, Elsa stood convinced that she would eventually return to Asgard. Even as the years passed Elsa resisted Midgardian culture. Accepting it meant accepting that she would never go home, and it took Elsa many years to realize that.

Letting go of her hope of return was a devastating decision for Elsa, but an absolutely necessary one. Years on Midgard had taught her that people can choose their own home, and after a long time Elsa was ready to accept hers.

She had hoped to let the past remain unspoken. By the time she was in college, Elsa was ready to embrace the foreign culture as her own. She started seriously listening to popular music and reading classic books, just as she began to go on dates and form friendships.

She moved on.

So that's what Elsa did when she made breakfast that morning, a typical Midgardian habit. While the eggs were frying, she turned on the television to a major news outlet to provide some background noise. When she turned back to the screen, eggs and orange juice in hand, she sat to watch a brief news segment. What she ended up catching was a pre-taped interview with Tony Stark lead by the news anchor. Elsa smirked, knowing that the news people were probably nursing some hangovers of their own right then, and that's why the network decided to run old material. Still, she had not seen the episode and watched patiently as the cocky CEO talked with the network news star.

The by-line read "Citizens Debate Validity of So-Called Superheroes." Elsa tuned in just as a caller was finishing a rant.

"_-a huge problem for the nation. How can we trust these people? I mean, half of them aren't even people!"_ An agitated voice broke through the television speakers.

Elsa watched as the news anchor refocused the audience's attention.

"Well, it's no secret that over the past few years the world has seen some extraordinary things. It seems as though for every new catastrophe, there's a new superhero to solve it. As it stands, the nation is divided on the issue of these so-called 'heros.' The past few years have forced ordinary Americans to think - 'just who are these people' and 'can they be trusted?' Of course, these answers have yet to be determined. Here with us today is someone who may just have the answer to these questions. Please welcome to our program, Tony Stark. Mr. Stark is the well-known CEO of Stark Industries, a weapons manufacturing company built by his late father, Mr. Howard Stark. More recently, of course Mr. Tony Stark has made headlines via his alter ego, commonly known as the Iron Man. Thank you so much for being here Mr. Stark."

Mr. Stark's alert voice replied. "No problem, thanks for having me."

He sat reclined in his chair, one foot resting sideways on his knee. He took a smooth sip of coffee from a mug with the network logo. The anchor wasted no time to start firing off questions.

"Alright, Mr. Stark, you're no stranger to controversy. What do you have to say to people like our previous caller who believe that you, and the other superheroes in our midst, cannot be trusted?"

Mr. Stark gave a sigh and started, "Look, man, do you trust the guy who delivers your mail? Packs your groceries? These are ordinary people, exempting me, with extraordinary powers and skills."

The host chuckled but continued pressing for more. "So you're telling her that citizens should blindly trust these mysterious people to swoop in and save the day? We know nothing about them."

Stark's irritation was obvious as he began his counter-argument.

"Unlike all other celebrities and world leaders, who we know everything about." His sarcasm was just dripping off the screen.

The host seemed to be getting a little uncomfortable with Stark's offensive tone.

"So, Mr. Stark, in retrospect to your previous comment, under which category do you think these people fall? Celebrities or world leaders?"

Stark let out an overdramatic sigh and answered dully. "Neither. They're here, that's all I can tell you."

"Yes," The host pressed, "but why are they here? Why are you, Tony Stark, the Iron Man? What's the common denominator to all this?"

"The common denominator," Stark answered coolly, "is that people need protecting, and that's what we do."

That was Stark's cue that the interview was over, and the host quickly wrapped things up and went to commercial.

Elsa smirked and shut off the television before wandering into another room to find a good book to read.

The recent rise of the superhero culture was significant enough to gain her attention. Elsa found it a little funny that humans now worshipped other humans, no longer true gods. The people on television were fantastic, though - Iron Man, Captain America - but they were human. She speculated that the world worshipped them for the same reason that they once worshipped Odin, to uphold the belief that someone was protecting them. That they were not alone.

These heroes were much more fallible, though, and much more clumsy than the gods she once knew. So Elsa always watched news coverage of the 'superheroes' with a bit of a smirk. The days of the gods were gone, but the sun was apparently just rising for the superhero.

That was because people were, as they always had been, afraid. Beyond the cheering crowds and parades was a world in fear. The threat of some greater force was real to every government and citizen. There was fear that the next hero to rise would not defeat the coming enemy.


	2. Matured Motives

"No! You mustn't do that!" _The young Thor whined. But Loki could not be swayed, and only grinned mischievously at his brother._

_Wide-eyed, Elsa glanced between the two. Loki grabbed her hand and dragged her along. "Come on, Elsie, Thor's just not brave enough."_

_That comment was intended to rile Thor, and it certainly did. With a huff Loki's older brother, who had just turned nine a few weeks prior, followed them reluctantly. He was not one to be called a coward._

_It had been Loki's idea, as all things trouble-making were. Thor preferred to run around and wrestle than play tricks on people, but sometimes Loki was so much fun, even if he usually didn't want to wrestle._

_Now, just after they'd been reprimanded the day before for digging up holes in the palace garden (Elsa had sworn there was buried treasure there), they were asking for it again. Sometimes the trio got away with their antics, though Frigga always knew something was amiss when they would return from their small excursions with giggles and grins on their little faces. _

_Sometimes she pretended not to take notice, and delighted in their bits of fun. Then other times that was not so. Loki had been known to push the limits occasionally, and they had all been witness to Odin's wrath. Like the time they thought it would be fun to break into the Relic Room, where Odin kept all of the trophies from his battles, and play secret spies. _

_Loki had been reaching out for a large, square Jotenhiem relic when Odin had burst through the door. Little Loki's fingers were inches away from the prize when his father stormed down the hall and grabbed him and Thor by their collars, dragging them back to their rooms. Elsa had not been there that day, fortunately for her. She attended the day school with the other Asgardian children. Loki and Thor had private tutors who lived in the palace._

_That day Loki had decided that they were to play tricks on some visiting royals, his cousins. They were a few years older than he and apparently very proud of that fact. They treated Thor and Loki like little kids which, at the ages of nine and seven, respectively, they most certainly were not. Of course, revenge must be exacted. So for this reason too Thor joined the plan._

_Loki had planned it perfectly. Elsa was to create a distraction while Loki wove a simple spell over their dinner plates. When they weren't looking, the food would glow momentarily as the magic took hold. This was an unfortunate side effect Loki had yet to contain, so for now a distraction would have to do._

_Elsa played her part perfectly by "accidentally" running into the meade hall and bumping into one of the servants who was carrying a large serving tray. The platter of fine meat tumbled and spread across the floor, with the servant on top of it. Elsa pretended to cry out in shock and began a steady stream of crocodile tears. As other servants rushed forward to help, the royals eating had glanced up from their bountiful feast to watch the events unfold. Loki jumped at the opportunity and used his magic while they weren't looking. He and Thor exchanged smug grins when his magic was complete. Their food would now taste exactly like the Biffleshiem dung that sometimes littered the palace lawn._

_Elsa ran out of the room and made her way back to where they were, hidden behind some large pillars. The three of them could barely stifle their laughs when they saw the royals' faces. It was something between blatant disgust and absolute horror. It was brilliant._

"_She certainly hope that little prank was worth the trouble it will cause you." Odin said from behind their turned backs. All three children jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to face him._

_Odin gave them a stern look and immediately all of their expressions went from glee to guilt._

"_We're sorry, father." Thor mumbled._

"_Hardly. You appeared to take quite a delight in watching their suffering. Tell me, Thor and Loki, are these the qualities of a leader?"_

"_No, father." They both answered with shame._

"_And why not?" Odin gently pressed._

"_Because a true leader helps, not hurts." Thor recited the line his father had used many times._

"_Because a true leader would not have gotten caught." Loki blurt out at the same time._

_Odin looked to his younger son and sighed with a light grin. "No, Loki. A true leader would not instigate unnecessary trouble."_

"_Yes, father." Loki quickly corrected himself. Thor could not help but let out a giggle at his brother's mishap, for which he receive a heavy glare from Loki._

_All the while Elsa stood there, a subject to Odin's punishment without even being directly spoken to by him._

_She just nodded and looked at the ground. He was Loki and Thor's father, after all. It wasn't his job to punish her; he had two future kings to train. Or at least one._

* * *

Elsa spent the rest of the day reading. She snuck out for an hour to get a late lunch at a diner a few blocks away, but she brought her book along.

Back at her place, Elsa was actually exhausted. Not the kind of exhausted that someone is after working out, but the kind of exhausted someone is after spending a lot of energy keeping a smile on their face and holding up a cheerful conversation. Pathetic as it was, Elsa was relieved to be able to not smile after she got back.

The remaining hours of the day were spent in front of the television as Elsa blankly absorbed everything thrown at her. When she realized that her mind was a complete blur, she shut off the television and was immediately confronted by an overwhelming silence. She had forgotten how peaceful it was when the world was shut out.

She was due back to work tomorrow at nine, and set her alarm for five thirty so she could sneak in another run. Before going to bed, Elsa quickly looked through her closet and picked out the next day's clothes. She was usually much too groggy in the morning to make such decisions.

The next morning was kind to her, however, and she woke without the phone alarm to see that she had twenty extra minutes than she was used to. Elsa used this time to actually make a decent breakfast involving cooking and heating things up rather than her usual to-go coffee and dry bagel.

While the omelette cooked, Elsa hoisted herself up to sit on the kitchen counter and turned on the television to the morning news. There were a few reports of multiple arrests and robberies surrounding the New Years' celebrations, but nothing particularly noteworthy made the headlines. Elsa had spaced out while watching commercials and had almost forgotten about the eggs until a low hiss permeated the room. She snapped her head to the source and jumped up, running to shut the stovetop off. Her eggs were saved just in time, and Elsa was still able to enjoy them after using her fork to cut out the burnt bits at the end.

As Elsa washed down the meal with a glass of milk, she paused. There she was: sitting in her apartment after cooking herself breakfast, watching the morning news, about to go to work - it was so normal. So Midgardian. This had once frustrated her: the notion of assimilating to the foreign culture, but now Elsa found great comfort in the knowledge that she could find a place for herself in this world.

She did not have time to wallow in nostalgia, and instead let the moment pass in order to proceed with the day. The way to work brought some more reminders, though. As she navigated through the bustling crowd of hurried people, Elsa found herself continuously looking up to admire the skyscrapers looming above. Somehow, she never tired of that sight.

When she had first found New York, Elsa had liked the skyscrapers the best. Their tall, grand posture and imposing stature reminded her of Asgardian architecture with large, metallic buildings and halls. For her first few weeks on Midgard, Elsa had been without a home. She slept wherever she thought she would not be seen: behind bushes, in alleys, once even in a tree. She liked being near the tall buildings, though, because they made her feel protected. An adolescent completely on her own, they provided the necessary stand-in for any sort of paternal or maternalistic figure. When she curled up next to a big skyscraper, Elsa had imagined that it was standing over her protectively. So even then, years later, Elsa always felt a little surge of comfort whenever she turned her eyes upwards.

Perhaps she had stared a moment too long, though, because suddenly she was being shoved by the guy behind her. Startled, Elsa stumbled forward and resumed the pace of the crowd.

New York in the morning always made Elsa feel glad to finally arrive at the doorsteps of the organization laboratory. Closing the thick, glass door behind her shut out the noise of the city and concentrated everything into one moment. In the silence of the building, there was no noisy vendor or chattering tourist, there was just her, her colleagues, and the entrance hall. That one brief moment of escaping the vague clatter was always her favorite part of the day.

The moment ended once Elsa stepped off the elevator on the twelfth floor and made her way to the main lab area. On the way, she passed various private offices belonging to project leaders and several large meeting spaces. Elsa's "office" was really just a section of a long slab of metal. There were several located throughout the large area, each acting as a desk for four people.

Elsa set down her bags and tried to organize her space before starting anything. She took a sip of coffee which she had hoped had cooled by then, and promptly burnt her tongue. She jumped a little and set the mug down, running her tongue distastefully against her teeth.

"What's that face for?" Gerard asked from his space next to Elsa.

"Burnt my tongue." Elsa grimaced.

"Ah, that's the worst, isn't it?" He smiled kindly.

Gerard was a French import who transferred to the New York base just a few months before. He was well-qualified but still in the newbie phase of trying to please everyone. Elsa noticed some of the younger female interns checking him out occasionally, and always found it funny how completely oblivious he was.

He was a pretty good looking guy, no doubt, but the thick French accent was likely the source of the appeal. Elsa guessed this after several times witnessing an intern or two approaching him with some nonsensical question just to hear him speak. It was a little silly, but Elsa enjoyed watching it, so she didn't fill him in on the joke.

"Definitely." Elsa said passively as she resumed focus on her desk. Various papers were laying about and multi-colored sticky notes were hidden under every sheet. Of all things Midgardian, Elsa had found a unique affinity for useless office supplies. She bought neon post-it notes and highlighters by the ton.

All told, it took the better part of thirty minutes to completely arrange everything in order. All the reports were filed, highlighters wrapped up in a rubber band, and sticky notes artfully stacked. Elsa checked the clock and saw that it was then 8:49. She had eleven minutes before she and Gerard had to be present in a project meeting in one of the main rooms. Elsa used up the remaining time gathering all of her necessary reports and research for the meeting.

The rest of the day was an absolute blur. The project meeting had been largely uneventful, just a status check on an ongoing work. Elsa had presented her findings and reported that she could not yet reach a conclusion as she did not have enough data to process. Gerard followed with a similar story.

After that, there was a mad scramble to collect more data and plan more experiments. Dr. Zinoviev had made it clear that he wanted both Elsa and Gerard to produce full reports in two weeks' time, and doing so would require their full-time attention. Occasionally during the day they would exchange brief comments about stress and how they wished they had just majored in English during college. In some instances, Elsa was able to help Gerard with is research, and he with her.

Elsa's mind was tired after the day was done. She walked back to her apartment in a blur, barely registering the environment. It was only seven in the evening when she returned, and Elsa filled the time by cracking open a novel

that had been waiting patiently on her bookshelf.

She had been experimenting with Midgardian literature for a few years, and found that the humans were not as primitive as she had once thought. Works by Voltaire, Tolstoy, and Marlowe had worked their way into her possession, and now she was determined to try out some American authors. That night, she began with Poe in a collection of his short stories.

They were known to be extraordinarily morbid, and so Elsa had been wary of approaching them. The selected volume, though, was not as depressing as she had thought and Elsa found that she rather enjoyed Poe's imagery and rhythm. After a few stories, Elsa shut the book. The writing was excellent and managed to give her a little bit of the creeps, so she decided that maybe she'd save Poe for for daylight hours next time.

Finally, Elsa pulled back her sheets and sunk into bed. The sun had long ago set and the second sunrise of New York neon lights had appeared. She always shut her blinds to block out the light, but a few streaks always managed to break past and stretch across her room, disturbing the darkness. Thoughtlessly, Elsa turned over under the covers and drifted off to sleep. What she found in her dreams was less than peaceful.

* * *

The canvas laid before her eyes was a bare one, devoid of color and shape. There was nothing but a long, empty hallway with which to exist in. It was hollow, but not empty, for Elsa had the ominous feeling that she was not alone.

Her suspicion was confirmed when a voice interjected from behind her. Elsa turned slowly to find a man, about her age, standing before her.

Other than herself, he was the only thing with any color in this world, and that made her feel that he was friendly. As could only happen in a dream, time slowed long enough for Elsa to gather his features.

This man was tall, taller than she, and lanky. Pale, very pale, and his clothes were dark. His black hair was slicked back, pulling across his long forehead that ended with small, green eyes. His lips were a thin, red line pulled across a tight face and a pointed jawline. And suddenly he was talking to her.

"Hello, Elsa." He said. "Do you remember me?"

Elsa must have shaken her head, for he continued.

"We used to know each other when we were very young."

Elsa squinted, then blurred her vision. Yes, the details had changed but the features were still there: pale, dark-haired, serious look.

"Loki."

He smiled, "Yes."

Elsa refocused her vision to look at him again, and quickly became aware that this was not a true dream of the subconscious.

She did not know what to say, so she asked, "How?"

Loki began to walk down the hall, and she beside him.

"It has taken me a long time to perfect this particular skill. Dream-walking, I'm calling it. What do you think?"

"I suppose this is fitting to the boy I once knew: curious, intelligent."

Loki seemed to appreciate the compliment, but refuted her comment. "There is little left of the boy you once knew."

Elsa looked at him, "What makes you say this?"

"Much has changed Elsa, children grow up. Look at yourself, you are nothing like I remember."

"And how do you remember me?" She wondered.

But Loki would not satisfy her vanity, and instead altered the course of the conversation. "You ask such trivial questions, and neglect the most pressing."

"And what would those be?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Most would wonder why I would contact them now, what was so significant about this moment."

"You seem to fancy putting words into my mouth. Shall I entertain this notion you so wish to expand upon?"

Loki grinned, looking forward. "It is my hope that you will. Indulge me, Elsa, if you will."

Elsa played along. "Very well." She put on a false-serious voice, "Loki: why are you contacting me now? What, pray tell, is so significant about this moment?"

"I thought you'd never ask." He said lightly. "As it happens, Asgard is going through a bit of a transition right now. Odin has announced that I am to inherit his throne."

"Ah, and you came to gloat." Elsa teased.

She did not express her surprise. Loki was intelligent, yes, but Thor had always been the favored son. From what little Elsa could remember, Odin saw more of himself in his warrior son.

"Gloating is only half the part of it," Loki assured her. "I used this time of distraction for the people to contact you. I told you that I had only just recently perfected this particular skill, and truly I have spent years mastering it. I am here to disclose to you that Thor may be joining you on Midgard very shortly."

Elsa did not believe him. "Stop telling me nonsense. I don't want to hear this from you." The anger in her voice was palpable.

"This is no nonsense, I assure you. Thor has been very reckless lately, more so than usual, and his actions have increasingly angered the Allfather. I suspect that he may soon unleash Odin's wrath, something you know well."

Elsa said nothing. Loki continued. "With his legacy assured, Odin may soon realize that Thor is no longer useful. He is a powerful warrior, yes, but he is too impulsive to be trusted."

"You believe that your father would punish him for this? That's ridiculous. Thor was always that way, even that I can remember."

Loki's tone began to harden. "Yes, he was always that way, and still is. His intellectual growth must be stunted, because he still runs about like a child playing at war. He knows nothing of consequences and sacrifice."

As he spoke, Loki thought _Thor is not fit to rule - has _never_ been fit to rule. He is full of arrogance and vanity. Speak of his strength as a warrior is nonsense - in the end, strength always bows to wisdom._

"What do you think will happen to him?"

Loki turned to face Elsa. They both stopped walking and stared at each other. "I believe that he will be exiled to Midgard as you once were."

* * *

When Elsa woke, she remembered nothing of the dream. Loki had made sure of that.

She would never remember any of the following dreams involving him. It wasn't himself that Loki wanted her to remember, it was Thor. And if she did that, then his plan was certain of success.

Loki had not been to Asgard in months, not after the fight on the Rainbow Bridge. He knew that Thor was still the favored one, however, and still set to take Odin's throne. The great fool was completely unaware of how close Loki was to gaining the power to send him back to Midgard, where he would be powerless and unable to fight Loki when he came.

A long time ago, the two brothers had briefly conversed on the matter of Odin's choice of successor. It had been prickly, with Thor dancing around the edges of controversy as he approached the topic. Loki, however, held no reservations on the matter.

Thor had come to him one morning as Loki was leafing through a pile of books spread out on a bureau. He did not look up until Thor's voice caught his attention.

Despite such a commanding presence, Thor's voice was soft. "Do you wonder why you will not inherit the throne?"

Loki's eyes narrowed as he glanced up at his brother. When he saw that there was no animosity in Thor's eyes, his ice stare fell slightly. "I once did." He said curtly.

"Why not still?" Thor pushed.

Loki sighed and stepped back from the table, having resigned to the conversation. "I came to understand Odin's thinking." He explained.

"Which is?" Thor appeared to be searching for some answer from his brother, some sort of blessing or acknowledgement. Loki was in no mood to give it.

"To put it simply: Odin is a warrior." Then Loki gestured to Thor, "You are a warrior. He sees much of himself in you."

Thor crossed his arms in contemplation. "And what do you think he sees in you?"

Loki looked away. "Little of himself, I am sure. Of me, he is wary."

"Wary?" This word caught Thor's attention. "What makes you talk like this."

_A lifetime of waiting in your shadow._ "Nothing, brother. Nothing."

By that point Thor had realized that he would gain nothing from the conversation with Loki and so left his brother with his books. Loki, however, could not as easily take his mind away from the conversation.

He understood that Thor had not come to him out of arrogance. Thor was simple, and wanted affection. He had wanted Loki's approval of Odin's choice, as if to prevent any hostility from breaking out between them. It would have been diplomatic if Loki had not been so quietly opposed to the possibility of Thor as king.

By a certain age, Loki had come to accept that Odin would not choose him. It was not a sudden moment of realization that confirmed this, but rather a series of constant reminders of inferiority and preference that kept Loki from being the favored child. Yet as he grew to accept Odin's eventual choice, so he too grew to oppose it.

Loki thought that he could do more good than Thor could ever dream of. Thor's arrogance, he believed, hindered his ability to rule. Loki could do what he could not.


	3. Calculated Conversation

The dreams came nearly every night after the first. In each, Loki began to plant the seeds.

"Thor has missed you." He told Elsa one night.

He watched the surprise on her face. "I had long ago convinced myself that he - and you - had forgotten me."

"Quite the contrary. He does not say it, but I know him well enough to see his pain. He was very young when you were exiled, and then unable to process it."

"To be honest, I'm still processing it."

Loki would not allow her to steer the conversation away from Thor. "He has tried very hard to, I am sure. We have spoken little of it."

Loki paused in his speech just as he recalled a wonderful lie to spin. "Right after it happened, Thor went to Frigga seeking consolation. He was crying terribly, as all children do." Loki looked Elsa straight in the eye for added effect. "He asked her where you had gone, and when you would be coming back. When she explained the situation to him, he became angry and stormed off."

Elsa said nothing.

"This troubles you?" Loki guessed.

"No, not really. I suppose it's quite odd to hear about the immediate aftermath from your side, after all of these years of speculating."

Loki glanced at her with a smirk. "You speculated? How very petty of you, Elsa."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "I know, but it sort of helped me to feel a little bit less alone, thinking that you guys were dealing with my absence as well. It was silly, but I was a child, and lost." She looked at him for assurance. "Surely you can understand this."

He thought about it. "Yes, I can." Was his only reply.

* * *

This was just one dream from a few nights before, and though Elsa always forgot the dreams afterwards, she began to internalize the information that Loki wanted her to: Thor missed her.

By Loki's calculations, he would soon be able to harness the power to send Thor to Midgard himself, and strip him of his powers. There, he would ensure that Elsa found him and a brief courtship began. Loki knew how distracted his brother became when it came to women, and hopefully the sentimental connection with this one would keep him out of Loki's hair for long enough to execute his plans.

With Thor infatuated, powerless, and distracted, Loki would be free to do his will with minimal interference.

Though both of the boys suffered for the loss, in truth, the child Thor had never come to Frigga in tears asking about his lost friend. It was a young Loki who approached his mother, and a young Loki who walked away confused and frustrated. This anger would sit within him for a long time, and the resentment against Odin's actions would continue to build.

* * *

Work began picking up after the brief holiday and writing reports kept Elsa up late into the night. The lack of sleep left her groggy in the morning and unwilling to wake up early. She had deactivated her early morning alarm in order to gain a few more hours of sleep.

She had been waking up with the oddest feeling lately. Opening her eyes felt like entering another world, if only for the briefest of moments, until she was able to orient herself. After this she was able to shake off the feeling and continue with her day, but the sensation recurred nearly every morning. It was a feeling of just being on the cusp of remembering a dream, then having memory instantly snatch it away.

Long after mornings passed, Elsa found her mind wandering. Whenever recording data or organizing reports, Elsa found herself thinking about Thor. Usually, this would not have been an uncommon occurrence. Just as most minds travel down odd paths as the body is preoccupied, so Elsa often found fleeting thoughts of Thor, Loki, and life on Asgard darting past. What was odd about this continued reverie was the specificity. All thoughts and memories kept turning to Thor as if he were some inevitable destination. Elsa tried to shake him from her thoughts, just as she had long ago decided to move on from all things Asgardian, but was largely unsuccessful. Brief moments and memories kept popping up and forcing Elsa to remember.

Memories of him, legitimate and imagined, passed through her brain as would a series of images. She began to wonder what kind of god he had become, and if he ever thought about his childhood friend. It was silly to think such things, but Elsa allowed herself to indulge in such thoughts occasionally. Sometimes, she even allowed herself to admit that she missed her two friends.

She distracted herself by burrowing further into work. Diligently, Elsa worked on labs and tests. When the work became tedious, she started chatting more with the others just to distract her brain. She found the people at the lab kind companions.

Across from Elsa was Irene. A forty-something German Ph.d, Irene had been with the organization for a long time. Besides Zinoviev, she was the most devoted of the group and hardly seemed to allow herself any personal or family life. As far as Elsa knew, the woman was in no relationship and had no plans to be in one. She arrived early every day and left late in the evenings, soaking up as much time as she could in the lab.

Elsa respected her work ethic. Irene was extraordinarily particular and meticulous when going about experiments, and Elsa always found herself watching her in the hopes of picking up any tips. Despite this, Elsa was intimidated. Irene was about a decade older than her, but was already so well respected within the organization and the group. She wasn't a leader by any means - she just wanted to study and research, but she was an absolute expert in her field.

Truly, Elsa found herself afraid of becoming Irene one day. Not that that was entirely a terrible thing, just not what Elsa wanted for herself. Irene was successful, yes, but she was so incredibly alone. An introvert, the woman only spoke when spoken to and did not seek companionship or socialization at work. Watching Irene for so many years bury her nose in work made Elsa conscious of her own social activities, and actually increased her desire to find a community of her own. For a very long time, Elsa was basically the Irene of wherever she was: a purposefully isolated individual. But after seeing what her future would look like, Elsa decided that it was worth the risk of putting herself into uncomfortable situations if they would yield friends or companions.

It was difficult, at first, for her to get comfortable speaking casually with others. To her shame, it took some time for Elsa to retain a sense of humility when speaking to the Midgardians. For a very long time she still considered herself Asgardian, and above the human race. This attitude did not help her already anti-social nature that became apparent after being dropped off on Earth.

It was a lonely time before Elsa became more comfortable with herself on Midgard. After she started trying more, Elsa began to realize how silly she had been for denying herself relationships with other people. She figured out that if she were to find any speck of happiness in this world, she would not be able to do it alone.

She thought all this as she stared absentmindedly at Irene across the lab space. Elsa was only pulled out of her reverie when Irene looked up and caught her stare.

Irene gave her an odd look and Elsa's brain quickly returned to the present. With a frazzled manner, Elsa shook her head and offered a "sorry" to Irene, who seemed indifferent to the matter. Still embarrassed, Elsa put her head down and returned to analyzing charts and observations.

* * *

On the main Chitauri ship, Loki stood alone.

A son twice denied a father and a would-be king twice denied a throne, he was built for solitude.

The path laid before him now was not one to be diverted, though he had no intention of doing so. There was nothing behind him to grasp for, nothing to cling to. That time was over - that time of family and relationships. Loki had to move on to the next journey and had to do it alone.

His fury was blinding, narrowing his vision and projecting all resentment unto the most convenient source: Thor. Loki had nearly memorized the internal rant that Thor was inadequate for rule and incapable of evolving beyond animalistic instinct. Conveniently, Loki seemed to have forgotten a conversation with his brother that had taken place years before.

Thor had come to him with a troubled mind, the source of which Loki could never recall.

Loki had been teasing Thor for his inferior intellect when Thor, instead of brushing off the jab as usual, had burst out, "Perhaps I am trying to change."

Loki had paused and gathered what his brother had said. He smiled darkly, knowing that he was about to begin a long-winded argument - his preferred method of battle. "An interesting development." He commented light-heartedly.

Thor had crossed his eyebrows. "You think me incapable?" He almost sounded genuinely hurt.

"You have proven your capabilities. I had thought you unwilling."

"Stubborn." Thor summed it up.

Loki nodded in agreement. "Yes."

"Some would call that conviction." Thor would not relent.

"A fool would." Loki shot back.

"Why?" Thor challenged him. "Because it is not in accordance with your views?"

Loki shrugged. "I do not see it as truth."

"Therefore it is not so?"

"In my mind, yes." Loki glanced at his brother beside him. "Do not tell me that you think differently."

Thor finally conceded. "I won't, but I am trying to change."

"Why, I wonder." Loki mused.

"Perhaps I tire of being underestimated."

Loki was amused by this particular admission. "You? Underestimated?"

"Mentally." Thor explained. "I am known only for my skills in combat. Nothing is ever said of my intellect."

"What is to be said of that which does not exist?" Loki could not resist.

"Loki." Thor sighed.

He chuckled. "Apologies, brother."

After a few moments of silent contemplation, Thor turned to his brother and earnestly asked, "But do you think I can change? Be better?"

Loki did not like the seriousness of the conversation. "This is not for me to comment on."

"Loki, please." Thor had begged.

So Loki looked at him and gave his assessment. "You are attempting to become father, are you not?"

Thor crossed his eyebrows as he stared at some distant object. "I had not thought of it what way." He admitted out loud. "Perhaps I am."

Loki glanced at him from his peripheral view. "Do you wish to be like him?

Thor pulled himself out of his reverie. "Well, of course I do. Do you not as well?"

Loki smiled and shook his head. "It matters little."

"What do you mean by this?"

"I am learning that it is not effective to force that which is not there." Loki told him.

Thor sounded impatient. "Brother, do explain further."

"I see little of myself in him." Loki finally admitted.

Thor would not believe it. "Is this true, or do you fear that that is how he feels?"

"Possibly both." Loki conceded. "Moreover, he sees so much of himself in you."

Thor could not deny this evident truth. "I strive to deserve the name 'Odinson' and always feel that I am failing."

Loki smiled regretfully. "He looks at you and sees the warrior he used to be."

Thor glanced at his brother. "And what do you think he sees when he looks at you?"

Loki did not answer immediately. Instead, he rested his chin on his fist as he thought. Finally, he told Thor, "For once, I am stumped. I have no idea."

"Is this a bad thing?" Thor asked him.

"It is a thing of great significance or little promise."


	4. Nighttime Nostalgia

Elsa was but a minor character in Loki's grand design, but he was still forced to spend a lot of energy ensuring that she would comply. Weeks of dream-walking were planned for Loki to indoctrinate her with the belief that Thor was actively seeking her out in some way.

Most would ignore this small detail in the plan, but Loki was not going to be lazy this time. Meticulousness was absolutely necessary for success, and so he labored every night to make Thor more favorable to Elsa. This was done with occasional suggestions and hints that Thor missed her, and that he may be soon joining her on Midgard.

Loki knew that if this one little piece of the puzzle clicked into place, then Thor would be completely powerless to fight him. Loki would not- could not- fail this time. That was not an option.

And so Loki spent hours each night in Elsa's mind, speaking to her subconscious. At first it had been daunting to speak with someone he had not seen in so long. Before first entering her dreams, Loki paced about in a frenzy trying to work off his nerves. He told himself that it was excitement he faced, and tried very hard to believe it. When he at last saw her, he should have been speechless, but Loki kept calm and spoke to her with a smooth, unhurried voice.

Each night the conversations got longer and less focused on Loki's objective. He considered it research to ask her about life as a human and the workings of Midgard, but there were times when he and Elsa spoke candidly about subjects irrelevant to his plan.

One such night occurred not long ago. It came about after a particularly dreadful day on Loki's part. He had spent hours with the Chitauri leader debating and planning the invasion, all the while attempting to alleviate the growing tension between them. The Chitauri could not understand why Loki would not attack immediately, and would not listen when he tried to explain that battles require intense preparation. They instead continued to issue threats that if he failed to deliver Earth, Loki would die at their hands. He was as much their army general as their captive.

More than he liked to admit, Loki thought often of Thor and Odin. Flashes of the battle on the Rainbow Bridge sped through his mind, and he was always quick to turn them off, not wanting to dwell.

When he did not think about it, the hate was almost instinctual. Hating Odin was the most natural thing in the world to Loki. He was the antagonist all along: the kidnapper playing at the father and the king playing at justice. For so many years had the old fool made Loki feel inferior not only to his brother, but to everyone. When it was revealed that he was not even the true blood son of the Allfather, Loki had initially been lost.

For a time there he did not know which world to belong to, and yet was very aware that neither seemed to want him. That was very well, he had decided, he could make a home for himself on another world. There, he would never be considered inferior. People would fear him just as they feared Odin and Thor.

Hating Thor was harder. The comparisons between the two had not been initiated by the other brother, so Loki could not blame him for that. But he could despise his overwhelming arrogance and brashness. The lumbering oaf never thought twice about anything, that is if he even thought once about it.

He was thick-headed and thick-skinned, and though he could best great evil in battle, he would never be able to defeat it. Loki knew this. It was because Thor was too simple-minded; he could never comprehend true, intricate evil, not like Loki could. And Loki knew that knowing the opponent was key, while all Thor knew was how to beat him up.

Thor could not be hated in the same way as Odin could because Thor did not understand all of his actions. When Odin treated Loki as less than a son, Loki knew that it was a very conscious act. The old king was decidedly ruthless and calculating in ways Thor did not understand. He looked up to- idolized- his father without truly understanding who he was. Thor's faults came unconsciously, and so Loki could only be infuriated by him.

Still, Loki had been denied a birthright. Even as a Frost Giant, Loki would have been king. But Odin took this from him, too. This slight- this gash upon his honor - would no longer be tolerated.

_No more_, Loki told himself, _no more. I will be given the reverence on this world that has been refused from me in the last two. I will reign. I will rule. I will rise._

And in this state, he appeared to Elsa.

She had been exhausted from the day's work at the laboratory and had fallen asleep around nine thirty that evening, still in her work clothes and passed out on the bed.

This time she did not find her dream-self in a vast hallway, and instead was jolted into what she suspected was Niffleheim. She had never been, but the descriptions she had heard as a child matched the location. It was a midnight desert of black sand and moaning winds that passed through the high mountains in the distance. The air was lighter, and the temperature colder.

Loki was also there, not far away from her.

She approached him. "Why are we here?"

Loki looked about, "Change of scenery."

He looked weary, Elsa noticed. She did not ask why.

"I accept your reason for location, but require further explanation as to why _I_ am here."

In each dream, Elsa was aware of the last, such that every night she was able to remember the previous, but upon waking would forget.

Loki smirked. "Observant of you." He scanned the view, avoiding Elsa's eyes. "This is not a place to be alone, I might think. Besides, I have spoken with you many times over the past few nights. Why should I not speak to you now?"

Elsa would not relent. "Because you must have some objective. You do not do anything without a reason, I know this. You came into my dreams for a reason. You brought me here for a reason. Why?"

Loki scowled when she finished. "Poor choice of words. Nonetheless, I feel obligated to answer you." He paused, summoning the lie. "Thor's exile is becoming more and more imminent, and I feel it necessary to prepare you to anticipate his arrival."

"Why is this your job?" Elsa narrowed her eyes.

Loki sighed, wishing that she was as simple as most mortals and easily accepting of a lie. But she had always been that way, he remembered, and knew too well his nature to let him off easy.

"It is my job to look after those I love. Thor is my brother, and I want to ensure that he will receive help should he find himself in Midgard." How easily the lies came.

Elsa smiled and shook her head. "Loki, maybe one day you will tell the truth."

"You doubt me?"

"Always."

Loki began to walk. "You never were very trusting of me."

Elsa walked beside him. "You never gave me much reason to be, what with being _the god of lies_ and all. You were a trickster as a child, and I have no doubt that your abilities have evolved."

"Well, I certainly like to believe so." Loki was about to continue prodding Elsa for lost memories of the past when he found himself asking, "What has your life been like?"

Elsa could only laugh. "You are asking me to summarize over a decade of information through just one conversation. That will be quite difficult."

Loki's curiosity intensified. "I am still wanting an answer. I do wish to know."

"Hmm," Elsa began, "a highlight. Well, I was dropped off here when I was about ten or eleven. On Midgard, they have this system for children without parents, and I was put in that. Basically, I was moved from house to house until I would be adopted." She stopped.

"And?"

"And I never was." Elsa admitted. Loki glanced at her sideways as they walked. "So after almost eight years in the foster care system, I turned eighteen. On Midgard, that's the legal age for being an adult. I got into college with a full ride scholarship, worked my way through and saved up money. Graduated, got a job in the city with decent pay, and here I am."

Loki scoffed. "I cannot possibly be satisfied with that."

Elsa gave him a look. "I'm not here to satisfy you."

"I want to know what it was like." He pressed

Elsa sighed impatiently. "Like what?"

Loki spoke slowly. "What it was like immediately after you landed here, as a child suddenly thrust into loneliness."

"What a glamorous way of wording it, Loki, thank you." Elsa rolled her eyes. After a few moments of debating exactly how to word it, Elsa began. "It was hard, but that's okay, because how could it be anything else? I was very lost and unsure of everything, afraid of anything. I did not understand why I had been exiled, nor did I completely grasp that I would never return."

He prodded her on. "So you carried the belief that Odin would bring you back?"

Elsa thought about it. "I guess for a while I did. Something I told myself before I went to bed every night. I can't remember exactly when, but all of a sudden I came to accept that I would never see Asgard again."

Loki let the words come out and hang in the air, until they floated away. They walked in silence for a few moments until Loki was able to ask, "Do you still consider Asgard your home?"

It did not take Elsa long to respond, and Loki realized that she had thought heavily about the subject. "I consider it my birthplace, but I have not lived there for so long that I do not think it would recognize me if I returned, nor I it. Asgard and I are strangers to each other now."

"And this saddens you?"

"It forces me to give up the hope of return, thereby accepting life on Midgard as my destiny. I will live out my days here, and I will do so happily. I have accepted this."

"I do not know what I would have done." Loki admitted softly. He had not even realized that he had said anything until Elsa responded.

"Oh, you would have been fine, I am sure." She smiled imagining it. "Even at that age, you were so clever. You probably would have outsmarted the system to accommodate your independence."

"It is interesting to think about." Was all Loki could contribute.

"Socially, though, I don't know how you would have done." Elsa continued. Loki glanced up at her, confused. She laughed and tried to explain. "I mean, if you were still the recluse that I remember you being. You probably would have holed up in a library somewhere and never spoken to a soul."

Loki thought about this. "I suppose that you are not wrong."

"At least you can admit it." She nudged him. "I bet Thor would have been fine, though. He's such a social guy, he probably would have been okay."

And just like that Loki snapped back into his role: he was there to plant seeds, not to exchange sentiments. "Yes, I'm sure Thor would have been fine. But, should he come to Midgard in the future, he will certainly appreciate your aid."

"I guess so."

This was just one night of many. Loki always left disappointed that he had not firmly enough asserted Thor's possible future reconciliation with Elsa. She needed to seek him out when he came, and needed to keep him distracted.

Loki paced about the hollow hall seeking clarity. The more he searched, the more frustrated he became. He knew that there was no peace to be found inside of his mind, especially not when the Chitauri were breathing down his neck to produce a war.

Loki was so invested in his multiplying thoughts that he did not immediately notice the Chitauri leader enter. When he began to speak, however, Loki did not even lift his head.

"You are wasting our time, Asgardian." The low voice echoed throughout the room. "The Chitauri have given you resources with which to build an army, and time to construct a plan. We will wait no longer."

Loki clenched his fists, aggravated at the leader's narrow-mindedness. "If you want war, by all means attack now, but if you want victory, I suggest that you wait for my command."

A low growl erupted from the throat of the leader, making Loki involuntarily tense. "We will wait no longer."

And then he left.

Loki let out a breath. The plans were not ready, he knew that. He was not prepared.

Loki had been training his skills relentlessly so that he would be able to simultaneously strip Thor of his powers and send him to Midgard. There, he would be victim of the Chitauri attack and unable to defend himself. If Elsa pulled through, then she would distract him for a few days, just long enough for the Chitauri army to assemble.

But now the Chitauri would not wait. Worse yet, Loki knew he could not argue with them. The Chitauri did not like him, he knew, and only accepted his presence because he held the key to possible power. Should their allegiances change or Loki find himself unable to follow through, he knew they would not mourn his passing.


	5. Busy Blur

"Our charts suggest a meteor shower over the city tonight." Angela reported to the group. The new intern tucked a loose piece of curly black hair behind her ear and looked eagerly to the project supervisor, Dr. Alexander Zinoviev.

Zinoviev nodded with affirmation as he glanced over the data. "Good observation, Angela." He then turned to the whole group, including Elsa and several of her colleagues. "I would speculate that it will begin around twelve-thirty a.m. and finish sometime past two. This is a relatively routine occurrence, but I would like at least two of you present at the nest to observe and record findings."

The nest was the official nickname of the rooftop observatory that played host to a series of telescopes and observation decks.

Two volunteered: Elsa and Yuri, a Russian scientist who had come over with Dr. Zinoviev.

"Excellent." Zinoviev said. "I'll need you both to provide individual observations in a full report. Get those to me by tomorrow evening at the absolute latest."

The two nodded and Zinoviev turned and walked to his office. The group disbanded, with each of the dozen or so scientists returning to his or her lab area. Elsa and Yuri stayed behind.

"You've done the midnight rounds before, right?" Asked Yuri.

"Yeah," said Elsa "A few times. You?"

Yuri shook his head. "Never. I'm not avoiding it or anything, I'm just never really in the mood to spend my after-hours working. I do not think that Zinoviev liked this."

Elsa gave him an encouraging smile. "It's not much, really. Just show up and wear lots of layers."

Yuri looked a little relieved that she was so calm about everything. After their conversation finished, he hastily power-walked back to his station, as Elsa returned to hers.

Yuri was a sweet guy, usually very quiet. He was in his early thirties, Elsa knew as much. He had not known English before he came to New York, and only moved because he was Dr. Zinoviev's unofficial apprentice. Yuri had been quick to assimilate, though, and was quickly getting better and better at English. He had plenty of help, too, from the international team assembled under Zinoviev. Elsa was only one of three Americans, the rest coming from South Africa, China, and Germany.

The entire company was international, its headquarters based in New York. Elsa had been incredibly fortunate to get the job, and so usually volunteered at any opportunity, if for nothing but to prove her worth.

Before they left work that day, Elsa told Yuri that she would see him later, and reminded him to bring a few jackets along.

* * *

"Mother, why is she gone?" _Little Thor looked up to Frigga with saucer-sized eyes brimmed with tears._

_Frigga pulled her young son close and held him tightly. It had been nearly two weeks since her husband had banished Elsa to Midgard, and her sons were still unable to understand what had happened._

_Of course they didn't understand, how could they? At nine and seven, Thor and Loki were just beginning to understand the cruelties of the universe. They could not possibly comprehend why their friend was suddenly taken from them._

_Truthfully, Frigga had her doubts regarding Odin's actions. Of course, though Thor and Loki did not know it, Odin's act had been of mercy. Exile was much preferable to her alternative fate, which he had so sought to avoid._

_Still, she was just so young. When given a moment to herself, Frigga's thoughts often wandered to the little girl who once ran through the palace halls. Elsa was just ten years old and banished to a completely other world._

_Granted, her memory was taken so she could not recall life anywhere else. But would she be taken care of?_

_Frigga would never allow herself to explore the possibility that perhaps Elsa did not survive on Midgard._

_They were largely uncivilized peoples, so willing to sacrifice the wellbeing of others for personal gain. Frigga hoped that someone would take the girl in and give her a home._

"_Because she did something wrong, Thor. And when somebody does something bad, they have to be punished." Frigga had used this line with both her sons multiple times already, and they could see right through it. _

_Her weak argument had no validity, as Odin simply refused to discuss the matter. It was as if the girl had never existed._

_But of course she did, and Frigga watched her little boys suffer for it. They needed nurture and time, and eventually they would understand._

_One day it would be explained to them._

"_B-but it wasn't that bad. Why can't she come back, mother? Make father bring her back!" Thor bawled. Frigga hushed him and rocked Thor in her arms, but his wails only got louder._

_It broke Frigga's heart to know that this was only Thor's first experience with loss. He was already showing signs of being a great warrior, and he had yet to realize that life as a solider meant losing fellow fighters. He would always be losing people._

* * *

It was nearly six in the evening by the time Elsa stepped out of the building. The winter wind bit her exposed flesh immediately, and she burrowed her face further into her scarf. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, Elsa hastily walked the seven blocks to her apartment building.

So quick was she that Elsa failed to notice the odd weather above. The sky was devoid of any clouds, making the night a clear one. The sun had not yet completely set, so it should not have been completely dark outside, but it was. Dark as midnight.

And the wind was blowing wildly, pulling Elsa's hair in a million different directions. As she walked she pulled it back into a bun at the bottom of her neck just to keep the strands out of her face.

No one else seemed to notice, either. Perhaps this was typical of the New Yorker: too hurried to be bothered. And that night, Elsa was one of them.

Inside, she was hit with a wave of warmth. By the time she reached the elevator she felt uncomfortable under all of the layers as her body was still trying to warm itself internally. She caught a glance of her reflection in the hallway on her floor and saw that her nose and cheeks were bright red from the cold, the rest of her face completely white.

After a steamy shower, Elsa got herself a warm mug of green tea and buried herself under a pile of throw blankets. She managed to pull her hand out of the layers to grasp the television remote, where she pulled up a movie she had recorded the week before.

She fell asleep only twenty minutes into the film, which is exactly what she had intended. All movies made her feel incredibly drowsy and, knowing she needed a nap, Elsa had made herself nice and comfortable on the couch. Her alarm was set for 11:45 later that night.

When it went off, Elsa jerked awake. She had accumulated a light layer of sweat after being buried under all of the blankets and was quick to throw them to the floor. Elsa sprawled out on the couch for a few moments to allow her body to readjust to a normal temperature. Her mind was still fuzzy from the nap, and she shook her head in an attempt to wake herself up.

It didn't work, so she set a cup of coffee out before wandering to her room to change.

She chugged the coffee in a to-go container as she made her way back to work. It was 12:15, and she was worried that Yuri was already there and waiting for her inside the lab.

Despite the late hour, Yuri was cheerful and, it seemed to Elsa, a little excited. She guessed that he was nervous.

"Well, let's head on up." She said after they both had picked up all of their supplies.

The two boarded the elevator that took them to the top floor, where they headed to the roof via a small staircase that was added in construction. Opening the door, Elsa was hit with a gust of winter wind that almost knocked her back. She managed to recover quickly and avoid falling back unto oblivious Yuri behind her. Together they stepped out unto the roof.

New York at midnight could be a wonderful thing, but just not that particular night. It was sixteen degrees outside and a thin sheet of ice seemed to cover everything, making walking extremely difficult. Elsa was careful to make very conscious steps as she walked along.

She found Yuri waiting for her just outside of the building.

"So sorry I'm late." She told him, her lungs burning from the cold.

Yuri did not mind the chill as much, and seemed to bounce with every footstep as they walked inside. "Not a problem, I just arrived a few minutes before you."

Each grabbed their notebooks from their stations before boarding the elevator.

"The weather report said it might drop to ten degrees tonight." Yuri said as they ascended.

"And it still hans't occurred to them to give us a roof and heating on the nest."

Yuri chuckled in agreement.

The nest was as empty as ever when they arrived. Sighing, Elsa and Yuri pulled out their notebooks and waited for the show to begin.

Twenty minutes in and Elsa's teeth were chattering. Looking over, she noticed that Yuri was looking cold, too. They stood out on the open, unexposed part of the nest where the cold winds struck them with ferocity. Elsa and Yuri were each so bundled up it was difficult to differentiate the two.

Finally, Elsa forced her backpack to open and pulled out two beers. She offered one to Yuri, who looked surprised.

Elsa shrugged. "It keeps you warm."

Yuri smiled and took the bottle. He and Elsa took large swigs and sighed as the warm alcohol burned its way through their freezing bodies. Laughing, they clinked bottles.

"I like this method of yours." Yuri said with a smile.

"I'm glad you do."

They spent the next five minutes straining their necks to look up at the sky, waiting for the shower to begin. At last Yuri spotted something.

"There! I see the first one." He jumped up, running to get his notebook.

After squinting her eyes, Elsa saw the next one and followed Yuri in retrieving her notepad.

Elsa heard Yuri furiously scribbling away and glanced at his sheets to see what he was writing. She was impressed to see Yuri conducting a mad symphony of shorthand notes coupled with basic sketches. She looked back at her own paper which consisted of pre-penned bullet points ready to be filled. Her handwriting was small and square and hardly seemed to take up any room on the sheet. Though more messy, Yuri's notes appeared far more detailed than hers, and significantly more passionate. She frowned.

It was a disappointing shower, lasting only twenty or so minutes. When it ended, the nest was silent as they waited hopefully for another meteor to strike the sky. After five minutes of this, Elsa and Yuri were forced to admit that the show was over.

"Well," said Yuri as he packed up "at least we got some drinks in."

Elsa laughed, "Absolutely worth it."

They were about to open the door to the staircase when a light erupted across the sky. Both immediately turned to watch as the clouds parted and a harsh light broke through.

"What is-" Was all Yuri could manage.

"I don't-" Was Elsa's only reply.

Yuri stood frozen as Elsa pulled out her notepad and began to scribble down what she saw.

_ Light beam. Parting clouds. Electric storm? Freak tornado?_

It was a single light beam that shot down like a lighting bolt and lasted only a minute or so. Then it was gone, pulled back into the sky. Elsa and Yuri watched as the clouds gathered together once again and retained their previous alignment.

Without a word, Elsa and Yuri sprinted down the stairs to the lab. They clearly were not going back home that night.

**Yuri** was the one who called Zinoviev in. He arrived but twenty minutes later, looking too excited to be disturbed that they woke him up at two in the morning. Immediately he zeroed in on their notebooks to look over their observations.

Zinoviev poured through their notes, reading each twice and then comparing the two side by side. All the while he mumbled gibberish to himself, Elsa and Yuri stood peeking over his shoulder, hoping that he could decipher something they had missed.

Zinoviev jumped up.

Though the storm had long since passed, Zinoviev demanded to return to the roof. There, Elsa and Yuri were made to describe what they saw and point to the approximate areas of impact.

"Fascinating." Zinoviev muttered as they spoke.

Down in the lab, Zinoviev assigned Elsa to consult with the company's database to see if there had ever been any similar sightings or occurrences. As she searched through thousands of digital and printed documents and reports, Yuri ran around the lab with chemicals and papers in hand.

Meanwhile, Zinoviev frantically e-mailed and called his international colleagues, asking if they had seen something similar.

Elsa and Yuri were shocked that Zinoviev had never encountered an occurrence like that one before.

"Until we know more, we will make no assumptions." He told them. "It would be a mistake to limit our perspective so soon into the investigative process."

But Elsa was finding nothing in the old reports, and Yuri had made little to no progress.

Zinoviev sent out an e-mail to the rest of the group around three-thirty, urging them to come in as soon as possible. As six a.m. rolled around, nearly half of the team was already in the lab. By seven thirty, everyone was there and the floor was buzzing with excited activity.

* * *

A few miles away, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were running around their own headquarters. Most were not beyond level 4 access, and so were operating blindly. They were assigned with cleaning up the rubble that remained of the main building and pulling out anything that could be used as evidence.

In the main room, agents found the tesseract missing, which they had expected. Director Fury had informed all agents that a hostile force had entered the building and attacked himself and other agents, stealing the tesseract on his way out.

They did not know that the force had entered _through_ the tesseract and introduced himself to a confused room of agents as Loki of Asgard.

Dr. Erik Selvig had been present, and identified him as the brother of Thor. Immediately Fury gathered that the brother of the thunder god was less amicable, especially when Fury watched as Loki's staff, pointed at their hearts, turned some of his most loyal agents into his followers. In one swift motion, Fury lost Selvig, Agent Barton, and several other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

With them, Loki had escaped with the tesseract in hand.

Hours later, Agent Maria Hill stood among the rubble. Beside her, Director Fury said nothing.

"We need to locate him immediately." Hill said.

Fury nodded. "Agent Hill, contact Agent Coulson and inform him that the Avengers Initiative is a go."

It would take a team of impossible heroes to save the earth. But it would take a team of extraordinary ones to avenge it.


	6. Avengers Assemble

Back at the international laboratory, everyone on Zinoviev's team was in a frantic state. Elsa's digging in the archives proved that there had been nothing like what had just occurred ever recorded; they were operating without any previous knowledge. It was thrilling and terrifying.

It was late in the afternoon, and most of scientists had been working for nearly six consecutive hours. Elsa and Yuri were going on hour eleven. The faint smell of coffee pervaded the air as numerous interns were dispatched every hour to go to the coffee shop across the street.

It was not until that evening, around eight, when Zinoviev told everyone to go home. It had taken twenty-four hours of consecutive work for him to realize that the team might actually be too tired to make any progress. A few people ended up taking coffee shots just so they wouldn't fall asleep on the subway ride back home.

Elsa was too tired to walk in the cold and hailed down a cab, pinching her skin to keep her eyes open. When she at last arrived in her apartment, she was too frazzled to know what to do first.

All she had had in her system was coffee, but that had warranted so many bathroom breaks that her stomach was empty. It had long ago given up on roaring at her for food, and had recently settled on establishing a general pain in her torso area.

She was starving, she knew that, but she was also cold. And exhausted. No decision was made, but Elsa took off her outer layers and collapsed on her bed, curling up to her pillow. She slept for thirteen hours.

* * *

By twelve the next afternoon, Elsa was still passed out. It took seven missed calls for her to hear her phone ring from the pocket of her jacket on the floor before she even opened her eyes. When she did, the light seemed to pour in and burn her irises. She groaned.

Before she could think, she draped an arm over the bed and reached for her phone. When Elsa first read the time, she did not register it. Then she realized that it was noon, and she was three hours late. She jumped out of bed with more energy than any coffee could provide and threw on her discarded layers left on the floor. Elsa didn't even grab a quick breakfast as she launched out the door.

* * *

At S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, the Avengers team was camped out in a meeting room. It was complete with S.H.I.E.L.D. technology and numerous screens for Tony Stark to play around with, which he was. He seemed to be the only one oblivious to the tension inside the room, and also the only one unsurprised when the silence exploded.

"How many?" Thor suddenly demanded.

Steve Rogers, Captain America, looked around. This odd assortment of people were supposed to save the earth? Not likely. Not alone.

When he received no reply to his initial question, Thor clenched his fists and yelled out, "HOW MANY LIVES HAS HE TAKEN?"

No one wanted to tell Thor the casualties of Loki's escapade on earth. Natascha pursed her lips and said plainly, "Eighty people in the past two days."

With a roar of anger, Thor slammed his fist down on the table in front of her. Natascha hardly flinched as the wood cracked.

She merely narrowed her eyes. "Save your energy for the fight. There's no point in getting riled up now."

Thor was deaf to her advice and stormed off, refusing to allow his anger to subside. As he pounded down the hallway his muscles twitched, aching to be in battle. But this frustration was without a vehicle, and Thor was left without any way to channel his anger.

He recalled how Loki had once scolded him for resorting to fighting as a means of solving problems. Thor did not think this advice applied to Loki any more; Loki, who now sought out war with another world, conducting violence where it was not necessary.

Thor remembered how Loki had smirked and said, "Ah yes, the warrior's way. Must we praise barbaric actions and name them valor?" Loki had paused to glare at Thor. "Battles are fought by warriors, but wars are won by words."

Thor had merely scoffed. "This method of yours sounds rather cowardly."

Loki's smirk faded. "Not cowardly, but sensible. Effective."

"Is that how you would have me see it?"

"That is how I see it." Loki asserted.

"Many would disagree." Thor leaned forward then, excited at the prospect of engaging his brother in debate. Loki was a skilled warrior, but Thor could beat him without terrible effort. To best Loki at his own game - now this intrigued Thor.

Loki's voice was icy. "I am well aware that strength is valued more than intellect, yes."

Thor ignored the shot. "You sound angry, brother."

Loki pulled his lips into a straight line. "Disappointed by this age, more like."

"Maybe the next will be kinder to you." Thor had clapped him on the shoulder.

Thor shook his head and pulled himself back to the present. This new Loki - he did not know him, could not understand him.

His mind still a mess, Thor returned to the room holding the Avengers team. They were still heavy in debate, and Thor walked in just as Captain America was talking.

"I agree. We've been given details on the situation, now we need to make a plan. What's our angle here?"

"Well," Dr. Banner started, "We're still tracking the tesseract. The gamma radiation it emits a pretty strong signal, but so far none of our devices have been able to pick it up."

"Shouldn't we be a little worried about that?" Natasha furrowed her eyebrows.

Dr. Banner shrugged, "Normally, I'd say yes, but we're dealing with extraordinary circumstances here. Loki sent off the tesseract, so it could've gone _anywhere_. Until we find it, it would be advisable to focus on using Loki to get it."

"Once we get him, then what?" Natascha inquired.

"Well, in theory, we get the tesseract." Dr. Banner shrugged.

"What about Hawkeye? Dr. Selvig?" She pushed.

Natascha owed Agent Clint Barton her life. She could never repay him, but restoring his mind seemed like a pretty good substitute. It worried her that Loki could completely manipulate him. Clint was an observer above all else, and knew a lot more than most S.H.I.E.L.D. agents probably did. He was a data file and a mercenary to Loki now, and Natascha wanted him back on their side.

"We'll recover them as soon as possible." Dr. Banner assured.

His words meant nothing to her. What could he promise? Dr. Banner had come only to work in the lab, he wasn't planning on going into battle with the rest of them. He had little to lose.

* * *

They found him in Stuttgart, Germany, alone.

It was a cloudy night, which made for rough turbulence. It didn't get any better when lightning flashed outside the window, alerting them to a coming storm.

Steve noticed Loki flinch at the sudden burst of light. Before he could open his mouth to ask why, the entire aircraft trembled.

"_Damn it_." Stark hissed under his breath, grabbing for something to hold him up.

It took less than a moment for the back exit to open, as if ripped from the outside. Steve watched as a huge man leapt in, grabbed Loki, and jumped off with him.

Next thing Steve knew he was jumping right after them.

After a subsequent fight that upturned an entire forest, it quickly became clear that the mysterious man was on their side. He introduced himself as Thor, and was apparently already acquainted with S.H.I.E.L.D.

Loki was quick to surrender. Most of the Avengers were too relieved to be suspicious.

He'd been on the ship for but a few hours and already everywhere the mood had shifted. Every agent seemed just a little bit more on guard.

This was the effect Loki seemed to have. He'd only been known to this world for a few days and already fear followed him.

Loki had killed so many in such a short amount of time. He now was listed as an international terrorist in nearly every country, though the proper term was probably something like galactic terrorist.

Thor was eager to see him. But Fury had ordered against it, wanting instead to wait it out for them to evaluate the best course of action.

So that's what they tried to do: evaluate. But they mostly ended up fighting. Meanwhile, Natascha Romanov decided it would be more productive to watch the prisoner from the monitor in front of her. She watched just as Director Fury entered the room where Loki was being held.

"You have made her very desperate." Fury told Loki coldly.

Quickly, the others in the room gathered over Natascha's shoulder to watch the interaction.

Minutes passed slowly as Thor continued his pacing while Dr. Banner sat down and started absentmindedly fiddling with his glasses.

Thor shook his head, coming out of his daze just as Nick Fury came into the room. His pace was heavy and his expression grim. All of their eyes turned up to him.

"You would really consider us desperate?" Thor looked to Fury.

He pursed his lips and clasped his hands behind his back. "This threat is something we have never dealt with or are prepared to."

"So what's our next plan of action?" Steve asked.

Before Fury could respond, Thor spoke up. "I believe you humans have a saying I have come across: desperate times result to desperate actions."

"Something like that." Fury answered.

Thor nodded, ignoring the sarcasm. "I may have an action desperate enough to work."

Everyone gave him a quizzical look, but it was Steve who actually asked, "And what exactly are you proposing?"

"There is a girl-" Thor began.

Tony cut in to roll his eyes and mutter, "There always is."

Thor glared at him and continued. "She is a friend from long ago. If you have read basic Norse lore, you know that as a child she was exiled from our realm to live here on Midgard. As punishment the Allfather took her powers, as he did me when I was exiled two years ago." He explained.

Steve looked profoundly confused, and could only reply with an "Okay?"

Thor sighed. "She may be able to help."

They did not seem to grasp him entire story, so Thor gave a big sigh and proceeded to tell it.

"We were but ten. The three of us - she, Loki, and I - were always getting into trouble. Elsa was the curious one, Loki, the mischievous, and I, the reckless. Our actions usually yielded the typical unfavorable results: punishments from parents, and so on.

"One day, however, this was not so. It began with a dare only a child could make, with me challenging Elsa to bypass Heimdall, the watcher of the Bifrost, and go to Niffleheim. The challenge was to bring back a handful of whatever lay on the surface there."

Thor's head hung low as he spoke. He faced away from the others.

"To me and Loki's amazement, she actually attempted it. Not only that, but she succeeded. That very evening, Elsa found a way to get past Heimdall and travel to Niffleheim. She arrived outside our door early that morning with black sand clutched in her hand and a wide beam across her face."

Thor paused.

"I never knew how she did it, but I believe that she told Loki her secret. He never repeated her words to me."

He shook his head and returned to the main subject.

"When the Allfather discovered Elsa's actions, he was outraged. No one is supposed to leave or enter Asgard without Heimdall's knowledge, much less a child. The fact that she had travelled to Niffleheim, a realm once populated by sworn enemies of Asgard, only made the situation worse.

"Odin was infuriated beyond all reason. He took Elsa and dragged her across the Bifrost, to Heimdall. Loki and I chased after father and her. When we arrived, Odin was screaming at her, a young girl. I remember that, even as the Allfather yelled at her, Elsa stood there still clutching to her sand.

"He shouted that she had directly disobeyed him, her ruler, and had endangered the lives of all Asgardians. He said that, had she been caught, it would have been a disaster, as all Asgardians were forbidden from entering that realm.

"I do not believe that I will understand why father reacted the way he did," Thor admitted quietly. "Nor do I find myself quite able to forgive him for it.

"He exiled Elsa, a ten year old girl, then and there. Loki and I watched in horror as she was sucked into a pool of light, cast of to Midgard. We did not understand what had truly happened or why, nor the permanence of it. All I can remember is seeing a pile of black sand where my friend had just stood.

"Elsa is here, on Midgard, somewhere. She is without her powers, but was not stripped of her memory. We must assume that Loki will seek her out, if for nothing but out of curiosity."

Thor trailed off and looked around the room. He had been so invested in his story that he had forgotten the original purpose in his telling it.

Steve took the opportunity to speak up. "Alright, let's say we go with your plan. We've brought her in, now what?"

"She confronts Loki. If I cannot sway him, she is the only one who can."

"I'm pretty sure we established early on that Loki's crazy, yes?" Stark turned to face the group. "You don't reason with crazy."

Thor growled and defended his brother. "Loki is misguided and embittered, talented and mischievous, but certainly not crazy."

"What are our other options?" Dr. Banner ventured.

When no one answered, Thor took this as compliance. He sighed and with a regretful tone mourned, "There was a time when I craved war. Now I seek every option to avoid it."

Hawkeye took this as a cue to comment, "Are we sure peace is the path we want to take? Loki is looking for a battle, I say we give it to him."

Director Fury scanned over the group. "So, the assembled soldiers are eager for war?"

Steve narrowed his eyes, "A true soldier is never eager for war, but he recognizes its necessity."

Fury arched an eyebrow. "So tell me, Captain America, is this a necessary war?"

Steve scoffed in disbelief. "You're kidding me, right? A war to save earth? What game are you playing, Fury?"

"A safe one." Fury answered coldly. "Our mission is to save the earth through whatever means possible while limiting human casualties. A war with an extraterrestrial force will be a last-ditch option. Until then we must explore all possibilities."

"If you don't want war, why did you call us here?" Clint asked suspiciously.

"Because, should we fail, this little group will make earth's last stand." Fury answered.

Dr. Banner clenched his fists. "You think there's a good chance we could lose this fight, Fury. We're the final battle cry."

Steve scoffed and mumbled quietly, "The Avengers. Earth's mightiest heroes. Earth's last heroes."

Fury gave him a look. "I appreciate your flair for dramatics, but this is not the time to dwell. We need a plan, soon."

"We find her before he does." The Black Widow finished for him.

Decidedly desperate, all agreed.


	7. Questionably Captured

_Thor was trying to__ hide when__ Loki found him. It had been just over a week before when their friend had been exiled. Thor had been crying unashamedly until he felt Loki's presence._

_He did not look up to see his brother quietly approach him from the doorway, which he shut gently behind him. Thor had been hiding in his room for hours, wanting to avoid others, but Loki finally decided to come to him._

_Loki walked slowly toward his brother, who had still not looked up, and was trying to wipe away the tears staining his face. He gave up, though, when Loki sat silently next to him._

_For a few minutes, neither brother said anything._

_They were young, Thor just entering manhood at fifteen and Loki just behind him at thirteen. They had not lost a friend before._

_Sniffing loudly, Thor finally asked "Why did she have to go?"_

_Loki did not look at his brother, but rather stared at the wall across the room. "She didn't. Father made her." He said calmly._

"_When do you think he will bring her back?" Thor asked earnestly._

_Loki thought about it. "I don't think he will."_

_Thor did not like that answer. "Why do you say things like that?" He was angry at his brother for being so short with him, not understanding that each brother had his separate way of grieving._

"_Because they are true."_

"_No, they're not." Thor asserted. "They can't be."_

_Loki exhaled. "I don't know what you want me to say."_

_In a small voice, Thor told him "I want you to tell me that Elsa will come back. I want you to say that this was just another one of your tricks."_

_Loki turned to face his brother. "I wish it was, too. Then I could bring her back."_

_A thought formed in Thor's mind, which Loki quickly shut down. "But you can't, can you?"_

"_No." Loki said sternly. "Only father can."_

_Thor had no answer, and so they sat in silence._

_Loki could hear Thor's heavy breathing as he tried to calm himself down. Loki did not need to, he was not worked up. He had cried on the day they lost Elsa, no more. He would not let himself._

_Instead of being mournful as Thor was, Loki was beginning to get angry. He did not know it yet, but a resentment was beginning to take root._

_At that point in time, all he knew was that he had lost a friend._

_Suddenly, Loki found himself blurting out "I miss her too, you know."_

_Thor faced his brother beside him. "I never doubted it."_

_Loki would not look at him. "Do you think she's afraid right now?"_

_Thor rested his chin on his fist. "I don't want her to be."_

"_Me neither." Loki said. "Well, I mean, Elsie's fairly tough."_

_Thor smiled weakly, entertaining the idea. "Yeah, I'm sure she's fine. Just a little freaked out, right?"_

"_Yeah. She'll be okay." Loki smiled._

"_Yeah. She will." Thor told himself._

* * *

Elsa was sprinting across the street to get to the laboratory when a hand stopped her and grabbed her wrist. She nearly fell as she was pulled back a few steps.

"Hey! What the hell?" She cried out instinctively. She had lived in New York for a few years, and was used to dealing with rude pedestrians and annoying tourists.

Elsa turned to find a middle-aged man in a dark suit standing before her. He pulled her out of the street while not appearing at all fazed.

"Hello, Elsa Reed." He said calmly. "My name is Agent Coulson. I need you to come with me."

Elsa crossed her eyebrows and pulled her arm out of his grip. "No, actually, you don't. And my co-workers will notice that I'm late, so unless you want me on a missing person's report, you need to fuck off."

Her heart was involuntarily pounding, and she wondered if this was what happened before people ended up on the news. She could see tonight's headline: "Local scientist killed on way to work" or something like that.

"Let me explain." Agent Coulson said, not unkindly. "I'm the good guy, and I need your help."

Elsa took a step back. "I'm going to need a little more than that."

"I can give you more once I get you somewhere safer."

He might has well have offered her candy in the back of a van. Without another thought, she lunged forward and shoved him back. As he stumbled, she punched his jaw before taking off.

She could hear him running behind, trying to catch up, shouting at her incomprehensible words. The only thought in her mind was _Get to the lab. You'll be save there, just get to the lab._

Had she turned around, she would have seen Agent Coulson yell into his earpiece, "Barton- she's turning toward you. Brunette in the trench coat." But because she didn't, Elsa did not anticipate another intruder.

This one was younger, armed, and decidedly stronger. He stepped in front of her as she ran, and grabbed her shoulder. Before she could escape, Elsa felt a gun being pressed to her side.

"I really don't suggest running." The man growled.

Just then Agent Coulson rounded the corner, slightly out of breath. When he saw that Elsa was in Agent Barton's custody, he looked relieved and approached them.

"Alright Elsa," he began "I know this is overwhelming, but I really need you to calm down."

Elsa wouldn't though, and began to scream for help. Barton was quick to clamp his hand over her mouth.

Over her head, Barton asked Coulson, "You bring the sleep serum?"

Wordlessly, Coulson handed Barton a small needle. Elsa's eyes widened as Barton injected her at the arm.

The last thing she remembered before her eyes shut completely was a large black car pulling up to the curb.

* * *

Coulson and Barton loaded Elsa into the car. The driver said nothing, knowing exactly where they needed to go. The Helicarrier was a short helicopter ride away, and Stark had one waiting at the top of the tower for them.

As Barton carried Elsa across the Stark Tower roof, Coulson called in to Agent Hill.

Over the choppy sound of the helicopter, he screamed into his phone, "Tell the team we got her. Be there in ten."

The helicopter landed fifteen minutes later on the carrier's tarmac. Invisible, the carrier floated along a few miles from Manhattan on the Atlantic. Once Elsa, Barton, and Coulson were safely below deck, the carrier took off.

Thor was waiting just outside the door as Coulson pushed it open. Barton trailed behind, carrying a still unconscious Elsa.

Immediately Thor looked concerned. "Why is she like this?"

As they walked, Coulson explained. "She resisted, started to make a scene. We had to get her out of there quickly. Don't worry, she should come to in a few minutes."

"And what will she think then, waking up in this foreign place?"

Coulson kept looking forward. "We're taking her to an interrogation room now. Once she wakes up, I'll give her a debriefing."

"I do not think this is wise." Thor frowned.

"And why is that?"

"I should be the one to speak with her. If you will allow it, I believe that I should be the one to inform her of recent events."

Coulson thought this over. "I'll bring you in after a short de-briefing."

They left her slumped in a chair with Thor pacing about the hallway in anticipation.

It was near agony for Thor, waiting for her to wake up. Still, Thor could not help but feel glad. It had been a lifetime since he had last seen his dear friend, and they both had changed so much. The little girl who had run with him through the halls of Asgard was now a young woman, though he did not have to strain his eyes to see the likeness to the child he once knew. Though the roundness in her face was gone, he recognized Elsa. Her once bright blonde hair had darkened a few shades, but her wide lips and round eyes still dominated her face. Still sleeping, she looking just like she had all those years ago.

As the minutes passed, his thoughts turned to Loki. Loki, who was then not far away.

Forgiveness was not in Thor's nature. He only knew of war and how to fight an enemy, an enemy that was usually a one-dimensional villain. This enemy, Thor could not de-humanize.

He should have known, though; should have figured it out long ago. Loki had always had a darkness in him, but Thor had always overlooked it. He had never wanted to believe that his brother felt him any true ill-will. Now he was forced to accept that the darkness in Loki was winning, and Thor decided to believe that it was the darkness he was fighting, not Loki himself.


	8. Found Friend

As Thor pondered on his brother, Agent Coulson sat waiting patiently across from Elsa. He drummed his fingers across the metal table, checking his watch impatiently. She was supposed to wake up by then.

It was strange seeing her, especially like this. After so much time it was difficult to imagine that she still existed. She had been away from Asgard for so long that, after a time, Thor had begun to believe that she did not exist. How could she - all those realms away? How could someone once so familiar be living a life so completely foreign while he lived on? It had been an impossibility to accept, so strange a concept.

Loki, he suspected, had thought her dead. Or at least acted that way. Thor had never thought much of it, though he did sometimes get angry at Loki for supposedly writing off their old friend. Loki, of course, would always give a smart retort, claiming that it was nearly impossible that she survived on Midgard. As a teenager, Loki told him that the Midgardians would not have taken her in, that she had probably perished not long after she had arrived there.

Thor had roared in rage. To him, it sounded as though Loki were passive about the perceived events. In reality, it was quite the contrary. Loki simply told himself these lies in the hope of eventually believing them. He did not want her to be gone, but knew that he would never see her again. As such, he decided, it was easier for him to believe her dead.

Loki explained his reasoning to Thor as best as he could, but his brother, as always, did not understand. They fought over it for a little while, but eventually reconciled when Thor realized that his brother simply had a different method of coping. Still, though, whenever one brother or the other was in a fight with the Allfather, her name was often brought up in the form of an accusation. The instance it was, however, Odin's tone always became very dark and he refused to explain his actions. "You are boys," he had told them both once, "and cannot yet understand what it is to rule."

But Thor was not thinking about any of this as he paced. He was the only one in the hallway then, as Coulson had left him to seek out the Captain America. As he walked away, Thor noticed the man clutching a small stack of cards hopefully.

Thor turned back to the room where Elsa sat unconscious. There was a two-way mirror that allowed for him to see her. Coulson had advised that she first wake up alone in order to adjust to the surroundings. Thor was getting impatient.

Then, finally she started to revive. Her eyes fluttered at first, then opened wide as they adjusted to the unforgiving fluorescent lighting. A small groan of dread escaped her lips, and she pulled herself out of her slumped position. As she straightened her back, she felt bones pop and knew that she would be sore later.

It was then that she noticed she was not alone.

"Oh." Was all she said for a few moments. Coulson watched as she blinked, adjusting to the bright fluorescent lighting. "What are you going to do with me?"

Coulson gave her a practiced smile. "I'm sorry we had to meet like that. It wasn't how I intended. My name is Agent Phil Coulson, and I know that you must be very confused right now."

Coulson observed Elsa as he spoke. She was displaying textbook signs of stress as she started fiddling with her fingers and blinking rapidly while avoiding his eye contact.

"Agent? For who?"

"I work for an organization called S.H.I.E.L.D. You probably haven't heard of us."

"You're not wrong. Care to enlighten me?" She tried to sound light-hearted, but truly Elsa was getting increasingly terrified.

"We exist to protect the Earth from unknown or extraterrestrial forces."

_Extraterrestrial forces_, Elsa thought, _like me._ She decided to play dumb. "Like alien hunters?"

"Some might agree, but no, not really. We are a defense organization."

Elsa was dying. This guy kept dropping hints that he knew who she was, but he refused to reveal his motive. She was getting more and more anxious as the conversation continued. Her heartbeat was rapid and she took slow, patient breaths to calm down. Of course, being afraid of looking guilty only made her look more guilty.

"Is this a lone wolf-type deal?" She tried to keep him talking, hoping that he would drop a hint as to who he was.

"Sometimes it seems that way, but we're really a covert operation created by the United Nations a long time ago, sometime after World War II."

Elsa wasn't interested in the history of this organization, but she kept up the subject in the vain hope that maybe, if he kept rambling about it, he wouldn't interrogate her or something. "So basically, you guys are the root of all of those crazy government conspiracies."

Coulson chuckled. It annoyed Elsa how at ease he appeared. "Yes, basically."

"Okay, I can get behind that."

"I'm glad." He leaned forward in his seat. "Do you have any more questions for me?"

This was it. This was the part where he would tell her she would be locked away forever to be studied or something. He was baiting her.

She looked at him blankly. "You mean, other than the obvious?"

"I've just been waiting for you to ask." He said, not harshly.

Elsa pushed forward. "Well, this is me asking."

Instantly Coulson broke the nice-guy manner and began his secret-agent-style rant. "You were brought here because we believe that you may be able to help us with a current situation."

This was Elsa's only chance to plead guilty. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm the right person for whatever you're hoping to solve."

Coulson looked at her. "Oh, I think I've got the right person."

This was it, then. They got her, whoever they were. "Why do you think so?"

"I need an Asgardian." He didn't blink once.

That one sentence was all the confirmation Elsa needed. It was over, allusions given up. Defeated, Elsa conceded. "How do you know?"

Coulson saw how nervous she was, and tried to pacify her. "It's not what you think, actually. You weren't tracked down and rounded up-"

Elsa cut him off, holding up her hand. "What are you going to do with me?" At this point, the anticipation was almost worse than whatever he could do.

"I'm going to ask you to do something." He explained simply.

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I'll take you back to the very spot where I picked you up, drop you off, and never see you again."

She didn't believe him. "You don't want to do tests on me or anything?"

He chuckled. "You read too many comics. I just want your help."

Elsa let her elbows rest on the table as she buried her face in her hands. From behind her palms, Coulson heard a muffled, exasperated voice ask, "Okay. What's going on?"

He tried to explain it in the best way that he could. "As I've already told you, I work for a defense organization. I've brought you in because the Earth is under attack from hostile forces that I believe you may be able to thwart."

Elsa pulled her head out of her hands. "What's attacking us?"

Coulson paused. _Here comes the kicker._ "An army of Chitauri. Led by an old friend of yours, Loki."

It took Elsa a few seconds to understand what he had said. "Loki? Loki Odinson?"

Coulson nodded to confirm, but Elsa did not notice. "That cannot be." She began to say aloud, her face pulled tight with confusion. "He was never-"

"You've been away from Asgard for a very long time, Elsa." Agent Coulson cut in.

"Yes...I know," Elsa conceded, "I just never thought-"

"That people changed?" Coulson guessed.

Elsa smiled weakly. "I guess I didn't want to."

"It's alright, I understand that this is very difficult. I've got someone outside who can possibly give some more context to what's going on." With that, Coulson stood and exited the room.

Elsa stood immediately, preparing to ask him where he was going when another entered in his place.

She said nothing, and only stared. He did the same.

"Elsa-" Thor began.

Elsa forgot all else, and broke into a smile.

"Thor!"

She leapt out of the chair and launched herself into his massive arms, and he accepted her warm embrace. He laughed, momentarily forgetting why they were there, and allowed himself to enjoy the reunion.

"My god," She pulled away, examining him. "You got big." She poked his chest just to make sure it was real.

"You- you look so different as well." Was all he could say.

Elsa kept on grinning. "I've noticed that time has a way of doing that."

He stopped to look at her the way grandparents beam down at their grandchildren. "My friend, it has been too long."

She was taller than most mortal women, and could almost look Thor in the eyes. He did not have to look down to see her fully. Thor was amazed to see the little girl he once knew alive and animated. He wondered if he looked much like his child self. He hoped not.

As they ran out of words, their smiles began to fade. Elsa began to realize where she was just as Thor began to remember what he had to do.

Thor gestured to the chair. "You had best sit, Elsa. We have much to discuss." As she sat, Thor took the other seat on the opposite end of the table.

"Who is Agent Coulson?" Elsa asked immediately, wanting a confirmation.

"He is a friend."

Elsa gave him a withering look.

Thor sighed. "We have not much time, so I must ask that you suspend all judgement and trust that these are good people."

When Elsa did not immediately answer, Thor pleaded. "I need you to trust me."

Elsa nodded, silently agreeing.

"I have been brought to Midgard to defend it. There are others- not Asgardians, but others who will fight with me."

Elsa leaned forward and searched in his eyes. "Defend it from what?" It had been so long since she had used the term 'Midgard' that it felt too foreign for her tongue.

"From Loki."

"Loki?"

Thor clutched his head in his hands and let it hang. He spoke to the tabletop. "He has-he has changed, Elsa. Very much. When I last saw him, we had a falling out. I thought him dead. He has just now reappeared, and he comes to this world to dominate it."

"I don't understand." Elsa breathed. Infinite questions pounded at her brain. She took a few seconds to collect her thoughts. "Okay. There's a lot that I have missed, clearly. Loki is - evil?" Thor began to speak up, but Elsa kept talking. "I don't know what he is, or how he has become this way. But why am I here? Do you need me?"

Thor nodded. "Yes."

Elsa let out a heavy breath. "Okay. I'm here."

"I am glad of this, dear friend." Thor showed a kind smile.

"I know we don't have a lot of time," Elsa began, "but what happened? To Loki?"

Thor's smile faded. Elsa watched his face contort as he grasped for the right arrangement of words. "He-I don't know. Or, I suppose that I do." Thor sighed and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "It was announced years ago that I would inherit the throne from the Allfather, and this troubled Loki greatly. He has made it clear in the past that he thinks me unfit to rule over him, that I am arrogant and reckless. I will concede that I once was, but no more."

Elsa shook her head softly. "This is not enough, you know it's not. What really happened to your brother?"

She watched as pain enveloped Thor's features and his eyes turned downcast. "Truly, I think his resentment has gone on much longer than that. Even as children, you may remember, we were rivals. I had thought it all in jest, but apparently he felt otherwise."

Elsa found the words that Thor could not. "He was jealous of you."

"I had not thought it possible."

Elsa raised her eyebrows. "Seriously? I haven't seen you both in over a decade, and I could still tell you that. Even when we were little kids, you were the athletic one. Asgardians, similar to the Nordic people who worshipped you, value strength above all - strength Loki does not have. He has intelligence, as have you, but that is not enough to win the favor of the people."

Thor conceded, "Yes, this is true. He competed with me for so many things, but most of all I believe for father's love. And when he discovered his true lineage, well that is when I bel-"

"Wait, what?" Elsa stopped Thor.

Thor looked confused for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Oh! Of course, you would not know."

"Would not know _what_?" Elsa was getting irritated.

"A few years ago, the Allfather revealed to Loki that he had been adopted as a child. After the ancient war against the Frost Giants, Odin found the infant Loki cast off and left to die in a remote part of Jotenhiem. He brought him to live with us in Asgard, hoping that one day he could become an ambassador between our worlds. When Loki discovered all this, and understood that such plans were no longer relevant, his resentment multiplied. He thought that the Allfather had hated him for what he was."

"A Frost Giant?" Elsa raised her eyebrows.

"In his eyes, a monster." Thor conceded.

Elsa let out a heavy breath and murmured, "Oh, Loki."

Thor's face hardened. "No, we will not treat him as such. My brother is not to be pitied. He is Loki, of Asgard, and he must be fought."

_He would be most unfit for rule_, Thor thought to himself, _His craving for power would always leave him unsatisfied. He would never get enough._

Elsa understood what Thor meant and collected herself.

She looked at him calmly. "I'm ready."

"Good. Let's go."


	9. Proposed Plans

Thor took her to Dr. Banner's laboratory, where all of the others were assembled. When he and Elsa entered, the team sat around a table, discussing something undistinguishable. As Thor's heavy footsteps came closer, the group quieted. When he entered, their necks craned to see the girl behind.

The group seemed to collectively decide that she looked a little disappointing, for a former Asgardian. This Elsa looked just like any other woman wandering the New York streets. A little tall, maybe, but that was it.

Steve Rogers, donning his blinding Captain America suit, stood up to greet her. He came with his hand outstretched and a kind smile. "Hi, Steve Rogers. Nice to meet you, Elsa."

Elsa shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, too." She said quietly. She didn't know the proper protocol for such an encounter.

"Alright." Tony Stark clapped his hands together, instantly attracting everyone's attention. "Now that she's hear, we need to get going. If this plan doesn't work out, we need to be ready to initiate next phase."

"The next phase?" Elsa crossed her eyebrows, turning to Thor.

It was Stark who answered. "War."

"Oh. Okay, then. Let's avoid that."

* * *

Elsa waited in Dr. Banner's laboratory while Thor went to speak to Loki. The team had decided that any sort of confrontation between the two would result in some insight into Loki's plans. They hoped that, in his arrogance, Loki would reveal some part of his plot.

Elsa had stood up against the wall as they debated, knowing her place. Despite the enormity of everything going on in that room, there was a small part of her brain wondering about her colleagues back at the lab. She wondered if they were worried, or if she had been fired. She wondered if they realized that what she and Yuri had seen the other night was an Asgardian traveling to Earth. She assumed they had not.

They had yet to give her any sort of instructions. Mostly, she was ignored. Elsa understood, though, that she wasn't part of this team they had going, nor could she contribute much in terms of war tactics and battle plans. Instead she had wandered a few rooms down the hall to where Dr. Bruce Banner was. He had escaped the debate shortly after Elsa entered, likely using the distraction to get out. He seemed to be the most reserved of all of them, and Elsa found him hovering over more monitors in the next room and doing tests and checking results. She introduced herself and informed him of her scientific background, then offered any help.

Dr. Banner accepted her offer and asked Elsa to look at the results as they came and check for positive signs of gamma radiation. She was in the middle of analyzing a chart when Director Fury came into the lab. Both stopped working.

"Loki has escaped. You both need to get to the meeting room, now."

Without a word, Dr. Banner and Elsa dropped everything and ran to the next room, where the rest of the Avengers were waiting.

No one was sitting around lazily throwing around insults anymore. All of the Avengers were up and alert, most with that look in their eyes that suggested bloodlust. Elsa scanned the group.

"Where is Thor?" Elsa asked as soon as she noticed that he was missing.

"He and Loki got into a fight. He's not on board." Was all Hawkeye said. He stood with his arms crossed, fists clenched, and eyes hardened.

Elsa asked no more.

She stood in the back of the room as Director Fury delivered news to the team. She watched as he tossed a few trading cards spotted with blood across the glass table. She watched as everyone processed the news. She listened as he explained that, in his escape, Loki killed Agent Phil Coulson and managed to throw Thor off the carrier.

Elsa had only briefly encountered Agent Coulson, and so did not feel comfortable joining in the mourning of his loss. She could see the suffering, though. She saw Tony Stark pound his fist so hard into the table that he nearly smashed it to pieces. She saw Steve Rogers sit tight-lipped and try to offer consolation to any who would listen. The rest looked too angry to be sad. They were the real fighters, Elsa realized, Hawkeye and the Black Widow.

She stared at the two, both with equal unexpressive looks. She had been looking for so long that she did not feel the presence of another beside her.

Only until she began talking did Elsa realized that Agent Maria Hill was right next to her. "I think you should come with me." The agent told her.

Wanting to get out of that room, Elsa followed her.

* * *

Agent Hill led her to the main command center of the carrier, where Fury had returned and stood overlooking the entire program. He did not turn around to address Elsa.

His voice was calm and commanding. "While our team makes plans for war, I need you doing something on the side. Are you willing to do this?"

"Yes." Elsa answered without hesitation.

"Good." He turned to face her. "Because war is becoming more and more likely, and I'm curious to know if you can have any role in preventing it."

"What do you need me to do?"

"It's a bit of an experiment, really. Where you are now, Loki can't get to you. We don't want that, or at least I dont. I want to throw everything at this guy and see what sticks, and I'm guessing he won't see you coming."

Elsa still wasn't grasping the situation. "You don't think I could change his mind, do you? That's absolutely irrational."

Directory Fury raised a hand as if to placate her. "Yes, I realize this."

Before he could explain further, Agent Hill cut in. "But exposing Loki to you, an old friend, may reveal a weakness in his character. Because he has severed all sentimental ties with Thor, you might be our last shot at getting a look into this guy.

"You will be safe the entire time, of course. We'll have you in an outdoor, controlled environment with agents on the ground. You won't be in any danger." Agent Hill assured her.

Elsa had not thought that she would be, but she agreed to the terms anyway.

Minutes later, she was whisked off into another helicopter and told she was headed to what would normally be a few hours outside of the city, but the pilot told her it would only be thirty minutes. Agent Hill was in the aircraft, along with a dozen or so S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

The flight was either very long or incredibly short, Elsa could not tell. She sat with immense dread and great anticipation, a coupling that left her equally hyper and exhausted through the duration of the flight. She kept fidgeting with her hands and tapping her index finger against her leg. The other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on board were quietly murmuring to each other as Agent Hill sat without a word. Elsa tried to keep her anxiety in check, using a breathing technique she had picked up from some stressed-out friends at the lab.

As she slowly counted and paced her breaths, Elsa's twitching began to lessen. By the time the helicopter began to descend, her heart rate felt steady and her mind was clear.

They landed on a clearing just outside of a forest. As soon as the doors opened, agents scattered into the trees. Elsa was not afraid anymore and would only allow herself to be excited at the prospect of seeing an old friend. _That's all it was_, she told herself, _just seeing an old friend._ Hill walked with Elsa.

"There's nothing you can do wrong, we just want to monitor his reaction." Hill assured her.

"Can you be sure that he'll even come? I mean, it's a little random." Elsa pointed out.

"We made sure that, while in custody, Loki knew that you were around. He'll have been monitoring us, and he'll know we took you here."

"So then he'll also know about the audience you brought along." Elsa gestured to the forest, where agents were scaling trees and placing surveillance equipment everywhere.

"Yes. But we're betting that he'll come anyway."

"Why?"

"Curiosity."


	10. Curious Confrontation

They waited for an uncomfortably long time. Of all the things, Elsa had not anticipated getting bored. The minutes passed slowly as a forced silence hovered over the area.

At one point, Elsa just sat down on the ground and started picking at the grass. She felt awkward more than anything, being in the center of the stakeout, as if she was boring the agents hiding in the woods. To entertain them, she started singing to herself as a joke. Then she started doing cartwheels around the area just to get some blood flowing. She was even smiling a little bit when she heard his laughter.

Mid-cartwheel, she froze and tumbled to the ground. Hastily, Elsa stood up and unconsciously started patting down her hair and clothes. She looked up to find Loki standing just a few yards away from herself, looking calm and entertained as ever.

"Loki." Was all she managed.

"Elsa." He had a wonderful, sick smile on his face. He looked so amused.

The air was incredibly tense. Elsa could almost hear the hiding agents lifting their guns and focusing their target.

Loki appeared unaware, or at least indifferent.

The Avengers had shown her the collected footage and photographs of Loki since his arrival on earth. She'd seen his initial imprisonment on the helocarrier and his ambush in Stuttgart. Even though she had already caught up with Thor, it still surprised her to see Loki look so much older. All she saw when she looked at him was that little boy who used to listen to her stories in the late Asgardian afternoons.

Now he stood tall and wise. His face had grown long and gaunt, with a devilish grin and a terrifying gaze. Still, this tall, lanky figure did not immediately strike her as a god. Someone with power and a bit of an attitude, yes, but not immortal-like. This must be the effect Thor had, unintentionally demeaning all around him. Thor cast a great shadow, and it was easy to see how Loki had hidden behind it.

And there she was, meeting his eye as an old friend. He said nothing, waiting patiently for her to initiate a real conversation. She took in a deep breath and began, opting for the honest approach.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to say to you." Elsa blurted.

"Ah, but I do." He said with a wicked grin. "_You_ were sent here to appeal to my humanity."

She cocked her head, "But you're a god."

Loki laughed, "At least you can see logic. So you know it will not work, then?"

"I can still try."

His tone hardened. "But to what avail? You alone cannot stop me, your team cannot stop me. Truly, you come here in vain."

"Alright, so let's say I came here 'in vain.' What did you come here for?"

"Hope, possibly. Curiosity, mostly." He answered casually. His honesty took her aback, and Elsa returned the favor.

She stared at him for a few seconds.

"I've missed you." She blurted out.

Finally, Elsa seemed to catch him off guard. It was only a speck of a moment, but his eyes flashed with something like recognition. A speck of a moment later, and it was gone.

"Have you now? Well, I wonder, what do you think of the man I've become?" Loki's tone was mocking as he stood with his arms wide, inviting her to judge him.

She could do nothing but stare.

The wind blew and his pale face hardened when she did not respond, his green eyes narrowing the longer he looked at her. Loki's raven-black hair was pulled back, fanning out against his neck, leaving his face exposed. Always the practiced liar, his visage revealed nothing.

Elsa continued to stare until Loki dropped his arms and approached her. He looked at her calmly and said, "Come, Elsa. Walk with me."

He did not touch her, but held his hand beside her arm as if to guide her in a direction. Elsa walked beside him slowly.

"I know that we are not alone here." He said casually. "But I also know that they have no listening devices on you. We may speak freely."

Elsa nodded to confirm.

What Loki said next shocked her beyond all else he could have uttered. He turned to her casually and asked, "So, how have you been?"

She gaped at him. "Seriously?"

He laughed. "Come now, Elsa. Entertain me."

Elsa gave an exasperated sigh and answered sarcastically. "I'm great, how about you?"

"Absolutely wonderful." He said with a light voice.

"Is this really what you came here to say?" Elsa asked, getting annoyed.

"Why, what else could I be here for if not to check up on you?"

Elsa felt her anger begin to rise. "You are here, Loki, to take over this world. That's all."

"Oh no, Elsa. You've got me all wrong. I wanted to see you, too."

"What? Before you destroyed my world? Can you just spare me the lies, just this once?" Elsa's anger dropped to defeat. She was quickly running out of energy to fight him.

Instead of continuing with the bit, Loki looked suddenly angry. "You truly believe that I would have no wish to see you, after all these years?"

"Yes, I _truly_ do." Elsa spat.

His joking manner should have been expected, but Elsa was offended by the lighthearted way with which he discussed such violent endeavors as leading an army against Earth. It was too much.

"We were friends, once."

That's when Elsa lost it. Instead of taking her usual deep breath to calm her anger, Elsa exploded at him and shouted, "Can you just cut it with the bullshit? No more appealing to the past, no more sentimentality, none of it. I'm not taking that shit from you."

Loki's eyes darkened as the game changed. "You think I lie?"

"Of course I do, you're the _god of lies_. How could I possibly stand here and believe that you would miss me, would want to see me, when you're only here on this realm to take over it?"

"I did miss you." He said flatly.

Elsa shook her head violently, angry tears forming in her eyes. When she turned away from Loki, she wiped them quickly. She would not cry in front of him.

"You know, right after it happened, right after I was sent here, I used to tell myself these stories." Elsa ran her hand through her hair harshly, trying to keep her head straight. "I would tell my little kid self that it was all just another game we were playing, that I'd wake up the next morning back in Asgard with you and Thor ready to play the next game."

Elsa started to pace as Loki stood absolutely still.

"As the years passed, I made myself believe that Odin would never come back for me. But for the longest time, I never gave up hope on you two. I kept thinking that you guys would sneak off and visit me sometimes, or that you'd somehow find a way to contact me." Elsa laughed a little. "I know, it's completely ridiculous, but it's what I told myself. Little stories and lies to make it through the day. Whenever there was a thunderstorm, I'd imagine that it was Thor saying hello. Things like that."

"You waited for us." Loki said softly.

"I did, yeah, for a while." Elsa was so upset now, she could feel her face turning red. She felt hot and itchy, uncomfortable. "I just kept telling myself that we would all hang out sometimes or you'd visit, at least once."

"But we never did."

"No, you didn't. And then I figured you never would."

Loki took a step forward. "So what did you do then?"

Elsa shrugged. "I moved on, I guess. I assimilated, finally, to Midgard. I went to college, I got a job, I started living again."

"You gave up."

"Yes, very observant of you, Loki." She snapped. "Sure, fine, I gave up. After a while I realized it would be better for me to try to forget than cling to the past."

He took another step. "You tried to forget me?"

"You and Thor, yes." Elsa sighed, taking small steps in circles. "It was just easier."

Loki did not respond, and Elsa ran out of things to say. She had long ago forgotten the agents nearby, but they were not a threat at that point. They were only there if Loki were to try to harm her. Afterwards, she was to report back to Hill any possible weaknesses they could use.

Nearly a minute, an excruciating minute, passed before another word was said.

Out of the silence, Loki said softly, "I looked for you."

"What?" Elsa turned her head toward him.

Refusing to look at her, Loki continued. "As a child, I searched for ways out of Asgard. After you left, Heimdall was even stricter about coming near the Bifrost. So I searched for the place you told me about, but it would not take me to Midgard. I ended up in darker places, different realms, but never the one I searched for."

Elsa did not say anything immediately, not until a question popped into her mind. "When did you stop looking?"

Loki gave her a hollow smile. "When I found you."

"Just now?"

Loki's eyes regained that twinkle that they got whenever he knew something others didn't. "Oh no, Elsa, I found you months ago. You just don't remember."

Within a few seconds, Loki's entire exterior had changed. He was suddenly excited, as if waiting to reveal something.

"What are you talking about?" Elsa asked desperately. "Why did you not contact me?"

"Oh, but I did." Loki laughed again. "Come close, but do not touch me."

Elsa was hesitant to approach, so Loki took the first few steps. Elsa observed him and began to cautiously walk toward him. When she stood barely a foot away, he reached out both hands and held his palms open beside her temples.

To the agents watching from the woods, this looked like an attack. They braced themselves.

"Do not move." He said calmly.

There was a calm moment before everything erupted. Elsa had forgotten about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s presence and was immediately reminded when Agent Hill stepped forward, carrying a gun.

She pointed it straight at Loki when she said. "Stand down."

Loki pulled his hands away and cursed under his breath. Elsa actually thought he was about to surrender, again, when he put his hands up in the air. Agent Hill approached them slowly.

"Do not panic." Loki said lowly.

Elsa did not know what he meant until she suddenly felt very light-headed. She looked down and saw her body disappearing along with Loki's. Before she could get a word in, they were gone.

Agent Hill could do nothing but watch as the two figures disappeared. She was furious at herself for allowing Loki to take Elsa, knowing that it had been her job to protect her. Elsa was not a trained agent and had no combat training, and Hill had put her in the field blind.

She called it in to Fury.


	11. Battle Begins

Just as quickly as they disappeared, Loki and Elsa materialized. Elsa looked around. They were near the peak of a mountain, and from the looks of it somewhere near the Alps. Snow covered nearly everything in sight, with the occasional evergreen emerging from the white blanket.

Elsa shivered and noticed that Loki did not seem at all disturbed by the temperature.

He looked tired, she noticed. Elsa did not know the great amount of energy it took to transport two to another area, much less another continent. Loki's breathing was heavy.

It was night there. It did not snow, but dark, thick clouds covered the black sky overhead. The winds tore through the valley, coming up to the peak where Loki and Elsa stood. They were strong enough to knock over a small child. Even then, Loki and Elsa made sure their feet were planted safely on the ground.

Elsa should not have been surprised at his maneuver. Even as children, she had always expected the unexpected from him. So she said nothing as they stood there in the cold.

Without another word, Loki resumed his earlier work and lifted his hands to either side of her head.

Elsa didnot see the pulsing light that erupted from his hands, but she did feel a strange warmth surging into her head. At first she panicked, but then forgot all else as a steam of memories flew into her mind.

Suddenly she remembered Loki visiting her in her dreams all those nights, all those months ago. She remembered every conversation, everything that was said.

When it was finished, Loki released her head and Elsa stumbled back.

"Why did you not let me remember?" She gasped.

"My motives were different then, Elsa. You could not know that I was coming."

"What exactly were your motives then?"

Loki smiled a little. "Well, I suppose that if you don't know, I didn't do a very good job." He paused for a moment, and Elsa thought that he was not going to explain. But just after a second he began to tell. "I wanted Thor in your mind. I thought that I had the luxury of time with which to gain and harness the power to exile Thor to Midgard myself. There, without his powers, I wanted him to find you. You, Elsa, were going to be a distraction. I wanted him so preoccupied with catching up with you that he would not immediately notice my arrival on Midgard, or in some way contact Odin or Heimdal."

Elsa gave him a dense look. "Okay, but why contact me about this? I get you're good with plans and stuff, but I'm really not seeing my role."

Loki nodded obligingly. "I did not want him just on your mind, I wanted you to want him. Do you see? Thor is still the great oaf he always was, chasing and lusting after women. I figured that if you two were reconciled, and if there was a possibility of a courtship, Thor would be too distracted to notice all else. When it comes to women, the big idiot can be rather narrow-minded." Then Loki muttered under his breath. "It's like he has tunnel vision." His brother would fall in love with a turkey if it had big enough breasts.

Elsa laughed. "That's absolutely ridiculous. You thought he and I would be too busy flirting that he wouldn't notice you attacking New York? And also, you lied to me."

Loki gave her a sarcastic look.

The laugh faded from Elsa's face. "No, I get it, you're the god of lies and all but seriously, you're my friend. We had not seen each other in a very long time, but we were still friends. And you lied to me."

Loki would not accept the guilt. "You are angry because this is what, out of character?"

"No," Elsa huffed, "I'm angry because, after so much time apart, the first thing you do when you see me again is deceive."

"For a greater vision."

"Yeah, okay, but you just- I don't know. You could have said something like 'Hey there, Elsa. Nice to see you after all these years' or something."

Loki stood up straighter. "I will not defend my actions."

Elsa rolled her eyes and muttered, "Fantastic."

Loki continued. "My plan was not a sustainable one, yes, I am aware. But even the slightest distraction, the smallest detail, can have an extraordinary impact in securing a victory."

Elsa sighed again. "A victory over Midgard."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I can make you a happier people. This freedom you-"

"Alright, just save it." She said, waving her hands. "I've heard the whole lecture."

Loki cocked an eyebrow as if giving her a cue to continue.

"I know what your intention is here, but I want to know why. Not why humans would be saved from freedom or whatever. But why do you want to save us?" She narrowed her eyes, challenging him.

He gave her no answer, but only continued to stare at her in amusement.

Oh, he was enjoying this. She huffed. So if he wasn't answering questions, maybe he just wanted to listen. fine. She would do the talking.

"In this world of yours, everyone will be one in the same and everything will be orderly." she started.

He gave a small nod, and she went on. "But your argument is that humans naturally kneel to a higher power. That we want to be freed of freedom. But you're wrong." She watched him start to walk off, losing interest, and spoke louder, "Listen- I know you've heard this before."

She knew he had been screamed at by various frustrated agents and interrogators, been told repeatedly that he was the bad guy, but she wanted him to know why.

He could have resisted but instead allowed her to stop him from walking away as she planted herself firmly in front of him. Elsa looked Loki dead in the eyes.

"But I'm telling you now. You're wrong. You don't understand us. So many people are unwilling already to submit themselves to one cause, much less one man. They will fight you," She told him. "Because humans crave freedom far more than order."

Apparently this was enough to get him going, and Loki retorted. "This world you mistakenly call home is one constantly in fear. Beneath me it will be lifted of that burden."

"If we won't feel fear, we won't feel anything."

"Exactly."

She opened her eyes wide and stared at him, trying to decipher his expression. Elsa could not decide whether or not Loki was genuine in his words. "Happiness won't exist in your world."

He revealed nothing and shrugged, "It won't need to."

"But I want to be happy."

He looked unperturbed. "You'll be above happiness."

"Emptiness?"

He smiled. "Satisfaction."

"Inferiority." Elsa pushed.

"Purpose." His tone hardened.

"Alone." Elsa finished.

Loki backtracked. "Your argument is flawed, Elsa, because this is not your home. It never has been."

"You've missed a lot, Loki. This has been my home for a long time. And now you're trying to destroy it."

"Oh, old friend, surely you do not think me so bad?"

"I have missed to much, I do not know any better." She said plainly.

"You do not know me, this is what you are saying?" Loki began to ask.

Elsa cut in. "Stop, please. We cannot continue this banter of small talk. My world is at stake, and you threaten it."

"Ah," He breathed a laugh. "But this is not your world."

She stopped and glared at him, "It is my home."

With this his gaze lowered to meet hers, and for a moment she could have sworn she saw a flash of regret in his eyes. "You haven't been home in a very long time." He murmured.

Fed up, Elsa let out an infuriated yell and began to pace about. "What are you doing here? Why the hell do you need to take over this realm? Seriously, what happened that I missed?"

As always, Loki's face revealed nothing. "Much, Elsa. You have missed much in the sense that nothing changed."

Elsa gave him a withering look as if inviting him to elaborate.

He obliged. "You must remember that even as children, Thor was the favored one. Years later, this is still so."

"And you could not look past this."

Loki looked angry, his speech increased in speed and sound. "How could I? This was my life, Elsa - a life in a shadow! In their eyes, I was nothing more than Thor's brother."

Elsa looked at him calmly, and said almost sadly. "Who, Loki? Whose eyes?"

His anger was increasing, and he breathed heavily. "Everyone's. Odin's, the realm's. Even Thor's, I suspect. They thought I was never enough."

"Thor never thought that."

Loki was almost cold now when he spoke to her. "Oh? And you know this how? You have missed so much."

"Because he is still the same man! I have only spoken to him briefly, yet I am sure of it." Elsa cried out. "Your brother loves you dearly, and this," she gestured to him, "your actions, are tearing him up."

Loki refused to believe it. "Do not attack me with sentiments." He growled. "I know him better than any."

Elsa shook her head. "If this is what you believe, then you do not know him at all."

Loki sneered. "Is this is then? Is this all you have to say to me?"

"You were the one who brought me here, Loki."

He faltered, then let out a breath. "I know, I know."

Elsa took a cautious step forward while he remained looking at the ground. "Why?"

He looked up to meet her eyes. "I wanted to see you."

She would not accept that answer. "You saw me in those dreams."

"It was not enough."

"Loki," she pressed, "why did you bring me here?"

He did not answer, and looked away from her heavy stare.

"Why?" She demanded again. "Why did you take me away from the battle that's about to happen? Why did you pull me out here- to the middle of nowhere?"

Then Loki looked at Elsa as if she were missing something obvious.

"You didn't want me at the battle." She guessed.

Loki's anger faded, and she knew she was right.

Still, Elsa was not satisfied. It was her turn to refuse sentiments. "You come to this realm where I live with an army, ready to attack, and you think you can save me from the carnage?"

"I know I can." He said heavily.

Elsa lifted her head to look him straight in the eyes. "But you will not. I am a part of this world now, and if you destroy it, I will be there as it falls. You do not get to save me over everyone else."

"You are not everyone else, Elsa. You are Asgardian, you are meant to live." He pressed, stepping toward her.

"I _was_ Asgardian. I have no powers now. I am mortal."

"I will not step down." Loki's face was stone, but his voice faltered.

"If only it were not too late." Elsa said sadly.

She reached out to hold Loki's hand, just to feel him, but she felt nothing. As her fingertips reached him, Loki's body began to fade.

And then he was gone, vanished.

Elsa was silent, though the winds continued to howl and beat against her. Suddenly realizing how cold it was, she crossed her arms over her chest in an effort to keep warm.

She heard a sound overhead and looked up to see Thor flying towards her, Mjolnir in hand.

Agent Hill had contacted Fury just after Loki took Elsa, and Dr. Banner was able to track Loki's transportation using a gamma radiation tracing device. Thor was given the coordinates, and was quickly off to find Elsa.

He landed in front of her, concern written all over his face.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his booming voice overpowering the wind.

Elsa nodded. "Yes."

"He did not hurt you?"

"No, he didn't. He just wanted to- I don't know. Then he disappeared." Elsa shrugged.

Thor shook his head and looked away. He said quietly, "I thought I knew him so well."

Elsa said nothing.

Silently, then, she wrapped her arms around Thor and he an arm around her. He lifted his hammer to the sky and immediately they were in the air and back on their way to New York. When they finally did arrive, for the first time in nearly two hours, Elsa allowed herself to breathe.

* * *

In New York, Loki watched as his projection faded. Those government fools had been anticipating an attack from him onto Elsa, waiting for an excuse to shoot. Even if they had, their bullets would have missed.

They were not wrong that Loki was curious enough to see her to risk a meeting, but were idiots to believe that he would expose himself so blindly. No, it was a mental projection of himself that visited Elsa in the forest, and then in Switzerland. The real Loki stood contentedly in Manhattan, though his entire attention was focused on the conversation.

Behind him, the Chitauri leader stood with an army ready to command. Still facing the New York skyline, Loki told him calmly, "Begin the attack."


	12. Collateral Consequence

_**Two weeks ago, night**_

_Again Loki appeared in Elsa's dreams, and again each time she regained memory of his past visits._

_As they began to walk along, Loki mused aloud "You always did have a fantastic imagination. You used to tell Thor and I such great stories."_

_Elsa beamed and, out of the purest of nostalgia, recalled the memory. "I remember them. I loved telling them to you two. I was so lucky to have friends like you."_

"_Did you find friends on Midgard?" Loki's change of subject was swift, but Elsa did not hesitate to answer._

"_Not like you both."_

_Loki nodded along, and Elsa suspected that he was not really listening to her. "And relationships?"_

_She shrugged, not knowing what the appropriate answer was. "A few. Nothing special."_

_Still, Loki prodded further. "You've never loved another?"_

"_Not really, I guess. I thought I did sometimes._

"_Fascinating." Loki muttered._

"_What is?" Elsa asked, curious._

_Loki looked ahead as he spoke, his hands held behind his back as they walked along. "You have been able to create and sustain relationships with these Earth forms. Yet you are not one of them."_

"_Of course I am." Elsa said softly._

"_You never were." Loki asserted._

_Elsa looked at him. "Your jealousy distorts your mind."_

_He cocked an eyebrow. "Does it? I've found that my mind has opened to new worlds. I have seen many places in my exile, and have learned much."_

"_What things you must have seen that reduced you to this."_

"_Do not attempt to find any guilt in me, Elsa. There is none."_

"_Then what is there?" She asked._

_Loki paused, then after a moment said, "I am a master of lies, and you see only what I want you to see."_

_Elsa smiled at him sadly. "The master of lies - so talented that he can even fool himself."_

"_Do not feign sympathy for me." Loki spat back immediately. He was so tired of others trying to sort him out._

"_I feign nothing." Elsa defended. "But sympathy is incorrect. I care for you, that is all."_

_Loki crossed his eyebrows, his mouth tightening as if he were about to ask something. Elsa spoke up again, not giving him the chance._

"_Do not forget that I loved you and Thor both. Our little trio shared love equally, as the greatest of friends do. That does not fade."_

_Loki's momentary confusion faded. "But it can certainly evolve."_

"_You still love him, just as I do."_

_Loki clenched his jaw. "So brief has been your reunion and already you've fallen for the god of thunder. I once thought you different ."_

"_Do not mistake me. I love Thor dearly, but as you love him." Still Loki did not speak, so she prompted. "Just as I love you."_

_This got his attention. He glanced up and held her gaze._

"_It's been so long." He said quietly._

"_Yet our friendship remains. Though, I will admit, it has certainly evolved. But then, so have we."_

"_You could love a scorned god, cast out and betrayed?"_

_She forced a kind smile on her face. "I will always love my dearest friend. But it pains me to see you in this state. I much prefer the mischievous boy who could always make me laugh with his tricks."_

"_That boy is gone." Loki growled._

"_Yet he stands before me."_

_He scoffed and turned away. "You are my friend, I will admit to you as much, but appealing to my - ah, softer side is futile."_

_Elsa grinned and gave a shrug. "Thought I'd give it a shot."_

"_And now what?"_

_She looked at him directly, eyes heavy. "I don't know."_

* * *

The Chitauri descended upon Earth with great ferocity. Their attack was to begin in New York, where they would be able to immediately wipe out S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Thor and Elsa had only just arrived when the first battle ship burst through the sky.

There was only a brief moment in which the two stood and stared blankly at the coming enemy. Had it not been so terrifying, it might have been beautiful in its grandness.

Then the noise began: the noise of screaming and running and cars swerving, and they were swept back into the present.

"You have to go," Elsa turned to Thor "the team - the Avengers- you need to be with them."

"Yes, but you must leave, now. You cannot be a part of this." Thor said solemnly.

Elsa threw her hands in the air in mock defeat. "Am I of such little use? Just a little while ago I was pulled out of my life _because you all needed me!_ Now I'm supposed to just be discarded?"

Thor looked at Elsa with great frustration. "You are mortal, Elsa. If you are caught in this battle, you will die. I will not allow this. You must leave, get out of this city."

"What happens after the battle?"

Thor stopped. "What?"

Elsa looked about. She knew they didn't have much time, but she didn't know if she would get the chance to speak like that with him again. "Will you disappear? Will I never see you again?"

Thor's kind smile was marred by something too close to pity for Elsa's taste. "I do not know what lies ahead, but know that I am glad to have seen you again."

That was all she needed to hear. Elsa threw her arms around her friend and gave the giant the biggest and tightest hug she could manage. When they broke apart, she was grinning.

"Okay, I'm done with all the nostalgia. Go save the world."

Thor smiled. "I will try."

* * *

He left Elsa on a street just a few blocks away from Stark Tower, where he was headed. On the sidewalk, Elsa was not alone.

What seemed like hundreds of people were amassed in a great stampede away from the center of the attack. Their screams were so loud that it was difficult to hear the sound of the Chitauri army above them.

Had she been offered an aerial view, Elsa would have witnessed thousands of bobbing heads moving in masses away from the center of the city. There was no definitive sound - just the high-octave noise of people in panic. Down on the ground, Elsa heard individual screams and the panting of people running past.

Elsa had less than one second to make the decision to get out of the way, and once the adrenaline cleared, she was so grateful that she did. She had climbed unto the roof of a nearby van, where she could survey the activity and avoid being trampled. It would be safe enough to make a break for it on foot once the crowd cleared.

Every face that passed was contorted, full of terror. These people, these urban natives, tourists, students, this was not an enemy they recognized. They could not fight, could not defend their city. All they could do was run.

And that they did, so much that some were getting lost in the crowd. A few tumbled, succumbing to the massive race and falling victim to pounding feet.

Creatures she had never seen from worlds she had never known descended from a crack of light in the sky. Wailing, large skeletal creatures seemed to swim terribly, majestically through the air. They were accompanied by battle ships in the dozens - no, hundreds. Full of Chitauri soldiers, the ships opened fire on the city.

Though this caused great distress, Elsa quickly realized that the ships were not the threat - they were shooting at random - that the threat was in the Chitauri jumping off the ships and unto the streets of Earth. These were the real killers. Lethal and unflinching, they moved through the streets. Suddenly no one was looking up at the sky but searching for the enemy on the ground.

The noise - the crash - the bang - was overwhelming. There was a cry of fear or bloodlust, or the sound of a weapon firing, hitting every octave. Even the eyes did not help much, as everything seemed to be moving. Swarms of people on the ground ran as an army of Chitauri attacked, while in the sky ships assumed positions and creatures roamed overhead.

A group of Chitauri descended from a ship with weapons in hand and immediately opened fire. Elsa ducked down and ran behind a parked car for cover. Once she reached it, she began scanning for her next move. She thought she could make a dash to the next car across the street. It was a few hundred yards away, but if she made it, she could then turn into another street. She turned back to check the scene behind her, took a big breath, and ran.

She reached the car safely and took a few seconds to catch her breath. Once her breathing steadied, Elsa took flight again and headed for the corner. She had almost reached it when she felt someone grab her wrist and tug her inside an open door.

Elsa stumbled inside and instinctively pushed away the assailant only to have him grab her hands, holding them steady. She looked up. It was Loki.

"Elsa." He said. He looked battle-fresh, she noticed. His horned helmet had been traded for one more suitable for combat. The scepter he had taken to carrying around was in his hand, and a few dents in his armor suggested he had recently engaged in a fight. His face, she saw, was beginning to scar with several small cuts breaking out across his pale skin. His normally combed-back hair was wild beneath the helmet, fraying out unto his neck. "You need to leave."

Elsa caught her breath and snapped at him, "That's what I'm trying to do, if you don't mind."

"How are you still here? I thought I left you in Switzerland." He asked angrily.

"Thor found me." She explained.

Loki almost rolled his eyes. "And so he brought you back here? To the middle of a war zone?"

Elsa gave him a look. "Unlike you, who dropped me off on a _mountain in below zero degree weather_."

Loki glared at her. "You were safer than you are here. He was a fool for bringing you back."

"Don't you have a battle to fight?" Elsa asked. He had grabbed her earlier, proving that his was not a hologram.

"Yes," he sighed "I do. But I do not want you to be a part of it."

"I know, I know. None of you do. I get it, okay? This isn't my fight. This isn't my world - anymore." Elsa told him wearily.

Loki was not listening. "He should not have brought you here." He repeated. "I cannot protect you here. I cannot save you."

"I'm not asking you to." She crossed her arms across her chest defensively. "But why are you here?"

Loki, who had been staring at the ground in a daze, looked up at her. He would not say anything.

"You say you can't save me, yet you show up anyway." Elsa added.

She stared. Loki wasn't biting. Instead he just stared at her densely. "Do you want me to say something?" Elsa finally asked out of desperation.

Loki's face changed, growing more angry by the second. "What? What would you say?"

"I don't know." Elsa shrugged weakly. "You're the one who came."

"And why do you think I did that?" Loki challenged her.

Elsa sighed, wondering how the hell he was finding the time to talk to her while the battle raged on.

"I don't know. I couldn't begin to explain a lot of things you've done recently."

"You disapprove."

"Completely." She said. "But it's too late to tell you that it's too late."

Loki laughed and challenged her. "Are you implying that I should give up? Call retreat? Abandon the battle?"

"No. You have many traits, I know this, and one of them is honor. I could never ask you to relinquish yours." Elsa answered honestly.

When Loki realized that she had not meant offense, his face softened. He stared at her for what felt like forever.

"Then what would you have of me?" He asked thickly.

Elsa stared at the man before her, unsure of what he wanted to hear. And what she needed to say.

Finally Loki realized that Elsa was not going to respond and snapped out of his concentrated stare. Excited again, he returned to his original premise by lunging forward and grabbing her shoulders. "You need to get out of here." He repeated.

His grip was tight and assuring. As she stood before him, momentarily hidden from the ongoing battle outside, Elsa closed her eyes because, for the first time since Agent Coulson appeared to her, she felt at peace. Possibly it was that infantile desire to be held or that primordial need for company that made her feel so, but whatever it was motivated her to trust Loki.

He stared at her for a few moments, not understanding. Then he just stood in amazement at the simplicity of her trust and returned it by embracing her wholly.

Elsa felt his arms wrap around her and his armored chest press against her. He was awkward, still unsure of how to compose himself. For the briefest of moments, though, Elsa allowed her head to rest against his chest.

Then she opened her eyes. There was a war on, and the enemy stood embracing her. Elsa looked at the man before her and knew that he should never win, but also feared him losing. For an instant she hated him, absolutely reviled Loki for embarking on such a dark and ambitious path. He had almost certainly destined himself to fail by declaring war on Earth. He should not have come.

"I have to go." Elsa finally said.

Loki immediately released her and looked away, not knowing what to say. "Good. Leave." He said. Then he softened his tone. "Be safe."

Elsa gave him a soft smile. "You too."

Loki almost laughed.

And then he was gone.


	13. Inevitable Insurrection

Elsa took off immediately following his departure. The street was clear when she came out of the building, so she ran across and kept working her way out of the center of the city. While a million and one things should have been running through her head, the primitive survival instinct forced out all extraneous thought.

There were other people running, too, but Elsa was wary of joining them. A large group of people probably looked like a nice target to some Chitauri flying above the streets. She figured she was better served keeping to the walls and staying solitary.

And she had planned to get out alone, too, until she heard another surge of people come past. Elsa crept back against a building, hoping to remain undetected while watching them pass.

A dozen or so people, panicked and lost, sprinted down the street. Some screamed as Chitauri shots fired overhead, but the smart ones didn't say anything. As she watched them go by, Elsa noticed that Yuri was in the group. He was running towards the back and looked like he was struggling. Yuri was favoring his right side, Elsa saw, and his limping slowed his pace considerably.

Then Elsa saw Yuri fall. Immediately she went into a state of tunnel vision, seeing nothing else but someone struggling to stand. She ran for Yuri. He didn't see Elsa until after she grabbed him and hoisted him up. He was still frazzled and clearly not yet capable of much coordination, so Elsa pulled him over and into a nearby shop. She had to push her way through more people to get there.

Inside, the shop was abandoned. It looked like a bakery, and smelled like burnt bread. Whoever was cooking had obviously joined the mass marathon outside.

Yuri was groaning, and Elsa sat him down to check him over.

"It's okay, I'm gonna get you out of here." She told him quickly as she groped his arms, chest, back, and legs to look for any sign of injury. When she felt down his right calf, Yuri let out an involuntary cry.

Elsa pulled up his pants leg to find a sickening bruise pulsing across the center of his calf. It wasn't broken, but was likely severely fractured. He would not be able to run.

"Okay. Shit. Okay." Elsa looked up at him. "You're gonna be okay, Yuri."

Furiously she scrambled to bind the wound. She had only ever had rudimentary training, but did her best to recall it. Yuri tried to help her speed up the process, knowing that they needed to join the evacuees. He wasn't able to do much, though, and Elsa ended up swatting away his hands.

Once the wound was bandaged with ripped pieces of Yuri's lab coat, Elsa jumped up and began searching for something behind the store counter.

"What are you looking for?" Yuri asked as she tore open cabinets and pushed away boxes.

At last, Elsa found what she was looking for. She had figured that the workers would have some stashed somewhere.

She ran back to Yuri, vodka bottle in hand. "Get some in you, enough to numb, and go." She told him as she smashed the bottle neck against the edge of the table. Some small shards of glass managed to bite her hand as they fell to the floor.

Yuri graciously took the bottle and took quick shots by holding it above his open mouth. He emerged gasping for breath and reeking of alcohol.

"Better? Good to go?" Elsa asked hastily. When Yuri said he was able to move, Elsa nodded and chucked the bottle to the side.

She supported him as he stood but he pushed her away after a few steps to test out his leg. He wobbled and winced a bit, but gritted his teeth and managed.

"Alright, let's go." He said determinately.

They left the shop behind and reentered the battle outside.

Most people had gone by that point, though screams could still be heard. Elsa realized that some of the cries were coming from buildings where people were likely stuck.

The Chitauri were scattered like frantic spiders, attacking everything in sight. In the distance Elsa saw a beam of light and a speck of red and gold, and knew that it was Iron Man. Had she bothered to keep looking she would have seen the helicopter manned by the Black Widow firing off successive bullets. When she heard a far-off roar, she knew that Dr. Banner had joined the battle.

Instinct told Elsa to run, and she and Yuri took off. Yuri was struggling but kept at his pace impressively, though Elsa still had to slow down to keep beside him.

_Loki did all of this,_ Elsa thought as she ran past the carnage and destruction, _the little boy trickster._

She and Yuri had made it thirteen blocks before they ran into half a dozen Chitauri. Both of them stumbled into a stop. From her peripheral view, Elsa spotted a side street that they could divert to.

Without hesitation, she pulled Yuri to the side and ran. The Chitauri followed and opened fire. Elsa knew that she and Yuri could lose them if they utilized their geographic knowledge of the area. The Chitauri may have been armed and more agile, but the two of them could outsmart their pursuers.

Elsa was so busy planning that she did not immediately register Yuri's cry.

He was gone by the time she turned to see his body crumple to the ground. There was no delayed goodbye or slow death, he just fell like a puppet without its strings. Elsa cried out, but turning back only made her realize just how close the approaching Chitauri were. She left Yuri's body lying on the street and kept running.

Panting now, nearly out of breath, Elsa used her shoulder to shove her way into a shut door. She stumbled as the wood splintered and allowed her entry. There was a moment of panic as she took in her surroundings and didn't know where to go, but she forced herself to stop thinking and _just run_. That's all she could do.

She made her way through the emptied building and ended up at another door on the other side. With precious few other options, she took it.

The door spat her out into another side street. Elsa checked, and it was empty, so she stepped out.

She ran to the edge of the corner and peeked around to see if the main street was full of Chitauri. The noise of the battle was still loud, but noticeably less deafening. She must have been getting further away.

Elsa saw Chitauri on the street, but they were too occupied to bother with her and the few scattered humans running about. Elsa saw the Black Widow and Captain America, each armed with handguns, firing successive shots at the Chitauri. She took the distraction as an opportunity and ran the opposite way, farther from the center of New York.

Truly, she wasn't even thinking any more. All of her energy was being pumped through her heart and leaving from her lungs. Her brain wasn't left with much to do but scream internally _Go! Run! Get out!_ Instinct had long ago kicked in, telling her to get the hell out of there. She was a civilian, an unarmed civilian, she had no place in this war.

Had she been given the chance to think, several things would have occurred to Elsa. It would have occurred to her that this might have been her last opportunity to see Thor or Loki again, that whatever the aftermath of the battle they would eventually have to return to Asgard. It would have occurred to her that she had basically been outed by Thor to S.H.I.E.L.D., and was then on their radar and would likely be later pulled in. It would have occurred to her that she was afraid, not for herself, she would be fine, this wasn't her battle, but for Thor and Loki - she was not ready to lose the friends she had just again found.

But of course none of this occurred to her, as she was too busy just running. Running, running, running.

* * *

Less than a mile away, Thor and Loki stood on Stark Tower. The brothers circled each other, waiting for the other to pounce and for the dance to begin. Loki eyed Thor hungrily with a dagger in hand while Thor looked at his brother wearily whilst still clutching Mjolnir.

"Did you miss me?" Loki hissed.

"Of course." Thor told him seriously. "We all missed you."

"Even your father? The all-knowing Odin?" Loki sneered.

Thor did not answer.

Loki laughed. "I had thought as much." He said thickly.

"You did no such thing." Thor said. As they kept at the circling, Thor continued, "I thought it would not be as hard, losing you, because I had already lost her so long ago. I thought I was better prepared."

Loki narrowed his eyes. "You are the second person today to attempt to appeal to my humanity. I can assure you that it is not an effective ploy."

But Thor would not listen. "Brother, you must end this madness. This carnage is beyond your control."

"No, no, this carnage is mine. I am the conductor of this symphony, brother." Loki cried out, "Don't you hear it? It's beautiful!"

"You are delusional." Thor said sadly.

Loki's laughing face darkened. "Am I? Am I? I am an orchestrator of chaos, commanding the unpredictable and the untamed while you - you are the symbol of war. How are we so different?"

"My heart is not so cruel as yours." Thor told him. He had only realized this recently, having so long chosen to believe that his brother could be redeemed and forgiven.

"You speak of cruelty now? Have you brought up this concept to your precious Allfather, the very one who exiled _a thirteen year old girl_ to Midgard. _That_ is cruelty."

"I will not defend the Allfather's actions. You know that I suffered from her loss, Loki, you watched me cry afterwards."

"I did, I did." Loki said slowly. He cocked his head. "But I just as quickly watched you forget. How long did it take you to end your mourning period. One? Maybe two weeks?"

"I have never stopped missing our friend, just as I will never stop fighting for you."

"What weak sentiments you throw at me, brother." Loki snarled. "These words are tossed to the wind."

"You truly have nothing to say to me?" Thor boomed.

"Certainly not anything you want to hear."

With that, Loki lunged at Thor with his dagger in hand. Thor jumped back, avoiding the blade, and gripped Mjolnir tighter. With grand movements, he pulled back his arm and swung the hammer into Loki's jaw, sending him flying back into the walls of the building, which crumpled as his body made impact.

Loki grunted with pain and fell, landing on his feet with his knees bent. Without another moment's hesitation, he flicked a small blade at Thor, which the thunder god easily avoided. In his haste to step out of the way, though, he did not notice Loki change forms. As he blinked, in just a moment of a blink, Loki duplicated himself and left the hologram version to taunt Thor while the actual Loki advanced from behind.

With a roar, Thor threw his hammer at the artificial Loki. The heavy weapon passed through the visual manipulation, and instantly Thor knew that he was being tricked. He was angry at himself for letting it happen again, as Loki had played that trick on him so many times before.

He almost didn't notice Loki coming up behind him. But he did, and quickly turned and swung his hammer into his brother's chest, knocking him over. Loki grunted with pain while attempting to recover.

"This is your final chance, Loki!" Thor called out to his brother. "End this now, and we will leave this world in peace."

Loki stood, smiling. Thor watched his brother rise, the solemn figure with a backdrop of chaos and war. Behind Loki, fires spread as an army attacked innocent civilians and tore the city apart. Loki appeared completely calm, even a bit excited.

"With you, brother," he said with a wicked smile "I never had a chance."

And with that he lunged again at Thor, scepter in hand, and managed to cut a long gash along his brother's arm. Thor returned with a heavy blow of his hammer which Loki narrowly avoided.

Then their two weapons clashed - the hammer and the scepter - and for an instant were locked. The two, with their arms raised, looked at each other and, for the briefest of moments, saw a sibling. The moment was gone the instant Thor did not notice Loki pull out a small dagger.

Holding it behind his back, Loki tried to distract Thor by stabbing at him single-handedly with the scepter. Thor easily dodged it but managed to continue stepping backwards until he hit a wall. Loki took the single second he had before Thor lunged out of the way to plunge the small blade in his hand deep into Thor's torso.

His brother grunted and fell to his knees as Loki twisted the knife. Loki reveled at the feeling of his brother kneeling before him. Perhaps he had been too invested in the moment, because he was quickly caught off guard by an arrow whizzing past his head.

Though it came from behind, Loki could sense it and moved his head to the side just in time. He saw where the arrow landed, though, and knew that Agent Barton was no longer on his side. Damn.

He knew he had little time to waste as Thor was usually quick to recover, so Loki threw himself over the edge of the balcony and landed safely on the flying spacecraft of a Chitauri soldier. Mindlessly, he pushed the Chitauri out of his seat and assumed control.

It was not long before he ran into another - what were they called? - Avengers, yes, an Avenger. The Black Widow as they called her appeared before Loki's hovering craft with a small helicopter, all of her firepower pointed at him.

Loki leapt from the craft and grabbed hold of the helicopter's landing poles. Agent Romanov attempted to throw him off by moving the helicopter from side to side very quickly, but Loki's grip was firm. With a grunt, he swung his body over the pole and managed to get up on his two feet. As the Black Widow directed the helicopter higher an higher into the sky, Loki pulled himself up unto the main body of the craft and smashed the scepter against the bullet-proof window, sending the glass scattering.

He threw himself through the window and found that the Black Widow was the only person manning the craft. In fact, she was the only person on board. _Even better._

She one hand on the controllers and one on a gun pointed directly at his forehead before Loki even took a step inside the cabin. He grinned in anticipation at the coming fight.

"I see that you have relieved your friend of his duties to me." He began.

But the Black Widow refused the bait. "Stand down or I sent this machine straight into the ocean." She told him calmly.

Loki cocked an eyebrow. "Will you now? Well, that would be very foolish."

Her eyes still trained on the front window panel, Natascha responded. "Foolish, maybe, but definitely effective. I get the feeling that without you to lead them, the Chitauri won't know where to shoot."

"You may not be completely incorrect." Loki told her. "However, it would be unwise of you to assume that plunging this little aircraft into the waters would stop me. A fall from the sky would hardly kill me, as I'm sure you've figured out with my brother."

Natascha pursed her lips but refused to let him best her. "Yes, I know. But I also know that you are not immortal, as humans used to believe. Thor explained it: you guys - Asgardians, whatever - live a very long time, but you can die. You _will_ die, eventually. But in your case, I'd rather it was sooner than later."

"I must inform you, then, that I absolutely intend on disappointing you."

"Then we're at odds, because I really plan on surprising you." Agent Romanov said as she switched the craft unto autopilot and leapt out of her seat.

She shot the gun several times, managing to get a bullet planted deeply in Loki's shoulder. He grunted but refused to relent and swung his scepter at her. If he could just get her still for a moment he could press the scepter to her heart, and then the agent would be his to command. She seemed like a good fighter, like she would be useful. But the damn woman refused to allow him access as she kept throwing kicks and punches at him, her hits landing solidly on his firm, alien body.

Loki returned her calculated blows with swings from the scepter. When she kept at it, he decided that his time was being wasted and pulled out another dagger that had been waiting in his boot. With a flick of the wrist, Loki buried it deep in her side. Agent Romanov let out a grunt of pain as Loki twisted the blade and pulled it out.

Slipping it back inside his shoe, he smiled down at her. "You have surprised me, really. I had not expected you to give up so easily." He said this as he lifted the Black Widow from the ground and placed her just on the edge of the cabin, right in front of the now-open door. Without another thought, he pushed the weakened woman out and let her fall. Had he bothered to watch her descent, Loki would have seen Agent Barton fly in on a Chitauri craft and catch her.

But Loki did not look, and instead directed the helicopter back down to the battle. From there, hovering a few miles above Manhattan, he leapt again from the machine and found his footing on a rooftop below. He landed with his knees bent and raised himself slowly.

It must have been some sort of scientific building or something, what with all the telescopes and equipment lined up about the edge of the roof. Loki did not bother to ponder this and instead took the opportunity to survey his work being carried out. As he stood, hands planted firmly on the edge of the railing, Loki looked out to see ant-like figures running about the streets below and his army of Chitauri flying above it all.

Buildings were damaged with gaping holes in some where the Hulk or a Chitauri creature had been. Others were catching fire, the flames threatening to reach the sky. As for the rest, everything that had yet managed to remain untouched - well, it would soon fall.

_I did it._


	14. First Fall

Loki was interrupted by the sound of a large boom in the distance. Loki watched as the Avengers attacked the main Chitauri ship. The Hulk leapt unto the craft and smashed its fists against the metal as the Iron Man flew and sent small shots of fire at the Chitauri onboard. Meanwhile, Thor appeared to have resurfaced and joined the Hulk in smashing the ship. On the ground, Loki saw, was Agents Barton and Romanov accompanied by the Captain America. The three of them were shooting bullets and arrows at individual Chitauri, most of whom began to fall from the ship to the streets below.

Loki saw them begin to fall and immediately forgot his instantaneous vision of complete victory.

At this, he spotted a passing Chitauri aircraft and leapt from the roof to land on it. Once he was planted firmly on the machine, Loki turned and headed for the center of the action.

He led the craft to hover just above the ship and then jumped down unto it. There, he was better able to command the Chitauri and push the Earth team back. He landed hard and immediately began to shout orders at the soldiers who were frantically trying to regroup.

"Use the dead as artillery." He called out. "Throw them out like bombs before you take their weapons. For the rest, line up with your weapons ready to fire."

The Chitauri obeyed and began to strip their dead of any weaponry and proceeded to toss the corpses off of the ship, removing it of the dead weight. They lined up on the edges of the ship and began to open fire on the Avengers below. Loki knew this was not enough to win, though, and called on the Chitauri creatures they had brought along to take on the Hulk and Iron Man. Thor he would leave for himself.

The creatures came at his call and with unearthly movements made their way over to the main ship. At Loki's command, they began to attack the Hulk, who was then planted on top of the ship. He had been pounding and tearing away at the main exterior until the creatures slammed into him, knocking him into a nearby building.

The Iron Man was quick to recover, though, and joined his team on the ground where he could better attack the ship. Thor, Loki could not find. It was not long, however, before the Hulk rejoined the battle. Tossing the large carcass aside, he leapt back unto the ship, this time clinging to its side and pulling it down. At such an angle, the whole ship turned and a few Chitauri spilled over the side. Loki regained his footing and angrily yelled commands at the soldiers to get up and keep shooting.

But for all the firepower he sent, the Avengers kept coming back. There were fewer of them, he saw, but his Chitauri army was full of expendable soldiers that kept getting expended. Loki's army was falling quickly and once he realized this he began to furiously call out more and more desperate commands.

**Elsa was still running.** It had been nearly an hour since she lost Yuri, and nearly an hour since she had thought about him. It was not intentional, of course, but she really did have other things on her mind. _I will mourn you later_, she promised as she ran from him_, I promise._

She kept that promise planted safely in the back of her brain where it would have the chance to resurface at a time when she was not preoccupied with making it out of a war zone alive.

She had escaped most of the carnage, but the moving was slow. Not only was she just generally exhausted from the marathon-length sprint work she was doing, but she also had to make frequent stops or diversions to avoid Chitauri.

Rarely could she make it a few hundred yards before running into another cluster of soldiers, so Elsa often found herself huddled into corners or pressed up against walls. Fortunately, New York City provided no lack of hiding spots and Elsa was most often easily able to dive into an open storefront or bury herself beneath rubble or something similar.

When she did hide, she made herself wait for a full three-minute count before she would even try to re-emerge. After poking her head out to check the status of the area, Elsa would then launch her body into a full-out sprint to make it as far as she could before the next obstacle came around the corner.

At this instant, she pulled herself out of a huge, metal recycling bin and jumped down to the ground. As soon as she landed, Elsa took off and crossed the street as quickly as possible. Breathing heavily, she attached herself to the wall of the building and flattened herself against it. She heard Chitauri in the distance, but could not be sure how far they were or how many there were.

She slowly made her way forward, further from the center of the city, by shuffling across the building. She was about to cross another street when she turned and spotted two Chitauri appear. Instantly, Elsa dove into an alleyway. She quickly scanned the area but found nothing to hide behind or in, and so she laid down on the ground and attempted to play dead, hoping that the Chitauri would not bother with a corpse.

She was doing this when she felt the presence of another. Elsa did not open her eyes until she heard his voice, though. It sounded weaker than before, possibly less heartened.

"Elsa?" Loki asked.

Elsa's eyes opened for him. "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing." He gestured to her.

Elsa got up and brushed herself off. "Playing dead is the oldest trick in the book." She explained

Loki frowned. "But hardly an effective one."

Elsa shrugged, "Hey, I've made it this far, haven't I?"

As she looked at him, Elsa saw Loki's face darken. "Yes, but the battle is turning. You must vacate this city immediately."

Elsa looked at him blankly, gesturing to her torn clothes and dirty exterior. "Clearly that's what I've been trying to do, but your Chitauri running around make it quite difficult."

But Loki was not listening. "Yes, I understand, but you need to be out of here by now."

Elsa crossed her eyebrows and took a step forward. "What's going on, Loki? Did something happen?"

"War happened." He snapped. "I had thought chaos my friend, but now it turns against me. I do not know now the outcome of this battle, which puts you in even more danger." He admitted to her.

"I've been doing all I can to get out of here." Elsa meagerly explained.

"It's not enough." Loki said. "You should be gone by now, safe." He looked distracted.

"Loki, what's-" Elsa reached her hand out to him, but Loki flinched away. She looked at him, worried.

Before he could respond, they both heard gunfire coming from behind. They turned and saw nothing, but knew that Chitauri were closing in. The two Elsa had seen earlier were likely searching the streets for any humans still hiding.

Panicked, Elsa looked around again in a desperate hope for shelter. Again, she found none. The Chitauri were approaching fast.

There was no time left, and suddenly the two soldiers turned the corner with their weapons ready. Without hesitation Loki stepped in front of Elsa, who stood as an open target. She let out an involuntary shriek as the Chitauri opened fire on them. Loki tried to shield her, but he had forgotten.

And the moment the bullets hit him he began to disappear, to fade, because once one of his illusions was touched, it was gone. And so the false armor he had thrown in front of Elsa vanished as the bullets sliced through her body.

Alone in an alleyway, Elsa crumpled to the ground. She died instantly.

The two Chitauri, seeing that their work was done, continued on down the street, looking for any more stragglers.


	15. Final Fall

The true Loki stood horrified on the platform of the Chitauri ship. Fool that he was, he had been too invested in conversation with her and had forgotten. That he was actually miles away, that he was beginning to lose the battle, that one of his final moves was to make sure that Elsa was safe. That he had failed. Because he had forgotten that he couldn't protect her.

In that instant the entire battle was lost.

The Chitauri ship fell and Loki tumbled to the ground. He was not able to stand before all of the Avengers gathered before him, kneeling and defeated.

His battle-worn armor had dents in it from where random shots and arrows had struck. His exposed flesh was beaten, bruised, and bloody from the fighting. His war-lorn eyes were leaden as he looked up to see his brother, Thor, standing before him.

Loki was lost.

"Brother, will you concede defeat?" Thor asked softly.

The others were not so kind, and the Iron Man stepped forward to punch Loki squarely in the jaw.

They bound his hands with Asgardian cuffs and brought him to the tesseract, which had been waiting for him.

Thor was about to receive the cosmic cube when, out of his peripheral vision, he saw the Black Widow's hand fly up to her earpiece. He watched as her face grew tight with concern as an agent fed her information. Thor crossed his eyebrows as she silently looked up to face him with an indiscernible expression.

"What is it?" He asked.

Natascha looked at him blankly. "Agent Hill is reporting to me that S.H.I.E.L.D. has begun to survey the damaged areas."

Thor stared at her. "Is that all?" He knew it wasn't. Beside him, Loki stood writhing in anticipation. They had been quick to bind his mouth as well, attaching an Asgardian mouthpiece to his jaw that forced his mouth shut.

"They found a body." Natascha told him.

Thor gripped his hammer tightly.

"Your friend, Elsa."

The god of thunder let out a booming roar. Loki winced as the sound pierced his ears.

In his anger, Thor turned to Loki. "What have you done?" He cried out.

Loki only looked at him, could and would say nothing.

"You did this, didn't you?" Thor yelled. "You killed her!"

His mouth bound, Loki could not refute.

Because Loki's mouth was covered, Thor could not see his brother wince and snarl at him. He could only see his eyes burning with hatred, and took that to mean that Loki had been her assailant, her killer.

Even if Loki could speak, he knew, he would not refute it.

He had caused her death and he had killed her, the single life form he had sought to protect. Now that there was nothing left on this Earth for him, Loki was ready to leave the world behind.

Ahead there was nothing but darkness and a lifetime of punishment, he knew. Behind was a memory of childhood and dreams and an army.

Elsa was the first fall and Loki accepted responsibility.

"You are a coward and a monster." Thor spat at him.

Loki refused the first insult, but for the first time, believed the second. And this was the final fall.

And so Thor grabbed his brother and pulled him to the tesseract. With a jerk of the hand, he twisted the cube and instantly the two were sucked up into the ether that pulled them between worlds.

Thor had left Midgard and Loki would never return. The ascent to Asgard, Thor's home and Loki's prison, marked Loki's final decision.

The monster stripped of everything worth having and loving, Loki stood alone.

From then on, he would fight for no one but himself. And because he had nothing left, there was no looking back.


End file.
